Enrollment numbers down at Will County colleges - BOB OKON, Northwest Herald

The state’s ongoing budget problems and uncertainty over tuition aid for college students has taken a toll on Will County colleges and universities, some college administrators said. Enrollment has declined at University of St. Francis in Joliet, Lewis University in Romeoville and Joliet Junior College in the past three years. The drops in enrollment might not be as dramatic as those at some state institutions, where enrollment dipped by double-digit percentages, sending off alarms and red flags to other schools about how the state’s budget chaos affects higher education. No one has yet measured just how much of the local enrollment decline is a result of state funding problems. Also not helping the situation, college officials said, is the uncertainty surrounding the Monetary Aid Program, known as MAP grants, that helps fund college education for Illinois students. http://www.nwherald.com/2017/10/12/enrollment-numbers-down-at-will-county-colleges/ae2u0bm/