Our newest Redbirds by the numbers: Fall 2025
Nearly 6,000 new Redbirds are on campus this fall, as Illinois State University continues the trend of attracting strong classes of high-achieving students.
“We’re proud to remain a first-choice institution in an increasingly competitive higher ed environment,” said Jeff Mavros, M.S. ’06, executive director of Admissions and recruitment marketing.
“And, of course, getting students here is only the start. Improved retention (81.9%) is evidence that the student experience is only getting better, and it means that we’ll be able to graduate even more career-ready Redbirds to contribute to their local communities and boost the Illinois economy.”
With Illinois State’s total enrollment now just shy of 22,000 students, a 2.1% increase over last year’s record enrollment, here’s a deeper dive into this year’s incoming class.
By the numbers:
First-time in college students: 4,253
Transfer students: 1,714
Average GPA (on 4.0 scale): 3.63
Students in the Honors Program: 527
Most-common hometown: Normal
Most-common hometown outside of Bloomington-Normal: Chicago
Farthest U.S. hometown from campus: Woodinville, Washington
Farthest international home country from campus: South Africa
Youngest, newest undergraduate: 16 years old
Oldest, newest undergraduate: 58 years old
Top 10 majors:
- Business administration
- Undeclared
- Elementary education
- Nursing—prelicensure
- Psychology
- Criminal justice sciences
- Finance
- Early childhood education
- Marketing
- Biological sciences
Favorite things:*
TV shows: Gilmore Girls, Outer Banks, Dexter
Band or musician: Taylor Swift, Zach Bryan, Drake
Food: pasta, pizza, sushi
Candy: Twix, Sour Patch Kids, Snickers
Dream vacation: Italy, Greece, Hawaii
Beyond the numbers.* Within the incoming class, a student:
- Was a member of her school board and interned at a law firm.
- Took improv classes at Second City Chicago and was part of a Chevrolet ad campaign.
- Earned a CNA (certified nursing assistant) license as a 16-year-old.
- Had a role on the TV show Chicago Fire.
- Memorized all the U.S. presidents as a 7-year-old.
- Received “Best of Show” at the Illinois State Fair for one of her art pieces.
- Marched in both the Tournament of Roses Parade and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
- Makes balloon animals.
- Directed a children’s theatre performance of a play she wrote herself.
- Made her own prom dress.
- Had an art piece selected to be in the Chicago Public Schools All-City Senior Portfolio Exhibition.
- Can name all 50 states in alphabetical order in less than 20 seconds.
Top reasons students picked Illinois State:**
- Affordability and financial aid
- Communication and outreach
- Welcoming environment and campus vibe
- Strong academic programs
- Accessibility and location
*Responses to “just for fun” questions on application for admission.
**Responses to admitted student questionnaire.
Get to know some of our newest students by reading “Our Newest Redbirds” series at News.IllinoisState.edu.
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