Recent admissions numbers for freshmen indicate NIU is a popular school.

From Oct. 1, 2002, to Oct. 1 of this year, the applications for incoming freshmen increased by 700, said Robert Burk, director of admissions.

“With the economy being the way it is right now, students are choosing to go to public schools instead of private schools,” Burk said.

Students who previously were interested in private schools have found that public schools are a good alternative, said Donald Larson, executive director of enrollment services and university registrar.

The location of applicants also is changing. NIU always has been a popular choice for students who live in the DeKalb and Sycamore area, Burk said. But now the university has been receiving more applications from students in other states as well.

“NIU has been receiving more recognition from students from other states,” Larson said. “Also, more students from Illinois have been choosing NIU over other state schools.”

Also, since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, students have been choosing to stay closer to home, Larson said.

“Students that wanted to go to school 500 miles away might choose to stay 100 miles from home,” he said.

Burk said the number of high school seniors in the Chicago area continues to increase, which could contribute to NIU’s popularity.

“I would also attribute the growth in admissions to all of the positive press that our football team has been receiving,” he said. “When you see our team on the front covers day in and day out, you can’t buy that kind of publicity.”

The increase in popularity could affect how many students are admitted to NIU. Admissions policies might change because of the increase in applications.

“We’ll stay with the boundaries that we have for admission and enrollment for now, but in order to meet our provost office target, we may have to cut off applications earlier,” Burk said.