Forbes Highlights SIUE's Enrollment Growth Amid National "Demographic Cliff"
Posted September 25, 2026
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s enrollment success story was featured in a Forbes analysis of colleges defying a nationwide decline in high school graduates. The article points to SIUE's largest-ever first-year class this fall, 2,323 freshmen, as proof that a regional university in a shrinking state can still grow.
Forbes credits the growth to SIUE's community college pathway programs, expanded online options, and in-high-school advising and registration, along with a 25% jump in undergraduate nursing enrollment this year.
Read more: Forbes
