NIU has experienced a 4.7 percent decline in enrollment since spring 2012, according to the results of a Northern Star Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.

Spring enrollment is at 20,075 students; in 2012, it was 21,066. Paul Palian, director of media and public relations, said spring numbers are always lower, typically because of graduating classes, and generally not recorded. Total student enrollment has dropped by more than 5,000 students since fall 2007, according to the 2011-2012 NIU data book.

“Graduation in December is a part of [the decline],” Palian said. “Some students may have transferred, not make it academically or get into their major. Another reason is that some students will run out of money. We typically check these numbers in the fall.”

Palian said the enrollment fluctuation is also due to a decrease in the student pipeline. The student pipeline is the overall flow of students from freshman year through graduation, Palian said.

According to the FOIA results, NIU’s spring 2013 total undergraduate enrollment was 14,946, down from spring 2012’s 15,659. There has been a decrease of 285 graduate students since spring 2012, with 4,811 graduate students currently enrolled.

“Fall has a consistent incoming class,” Palian said. “It’s cyclical that way. For graduates, and I’m one of them, typically graduate in December. Most students start in the fall. Enrollment is down because there was a larger class that graduated.”

According to a Sept. 12 Northern Star article, NIU’s fall enrollment saw a decline of 4.9 percent from fall 2011 to fall 2012, marking the third year in a row NIU had decreased enrollment. Fall enrollment was 21,869 in 2012, 22,990 in 2011 and 23,850 in 2010.

Decreased enrollment does not necessarily mean NIU is receiving fewer applications. It was announced at Friday’s Board of Trustees meeting that there have been more than 18,000 applications for the fall semester, which is more than normal.

There has also been a 34 percent increase in undergraduate international student applications since spring 2012, according to Sim Chin, international undergraduate admission counselor. Chin said 40 international students enrolled spring 2013, up from 26 last spring.

“All of NIU’s programs are good, especially in business and engineering,” Chin said. “International [undergraduates] come to NIU for its affordable tuition.”

Other Illinois universities have also seen enrollment decreases. Southern Illinois University (SIU) recorded an almost 7 percent decrease in enrollment from spring 2012 to spring 2013, according to a Jan. 31 article in The Southern. Rod Sievers, SIU assistant to the chancellor for media and community relations, said this is because a larger class graduated in December.

“In other words, students were enrolled for fall, finished their degree and graduated,” Sievers said in an email. “They didn’t return for the spring semester. Plus, there were fewer transfer students, and of course the economy played a role as well.”

Sievers said to increase the enrollment numbers nationally, universities must support students academically, socially and financially.

The University of Illinois (U of I) has seen an increase in enrollment and application quality, according to an email from Robin Kaler, U of I associate chancellor of public and media relations.