Freshmen aps up sharply at Illinois State

NORMAL -- Applications for a place in this fall's freshmen class at Illinois State University are up to about 14,000, 11 percent over last year.

Part of the reason may not be specific to Illinois State. There were more high school graduates across the country last year than there have been since the early 1980s.

But ISU President Al Bowman says the school has been aggressively recruiting students the past few years. Bowman says it's paying off.

Most of those students won't enroll at Illinois State. The school expects an incoming freshman class of just under 3,400.

When school starts Monday, Illinois State officials expect almost 20,000 students to be on campus.