SPRINGFIELD — Enrollment at public universities in Illinois grew to a 10-year high of 189,791 students, a 2.3% increase over last year, according to figures released by the Illinois Board of Higher Education.

The numbers were driven mainly by growth in undergraduate enrollment, particularly among incoming freshmen, which was up 6.8% from the previous year. They also reflect large increases in underrepresented student populations, including Black student enrollment, which was up 9.7%, and Latino enrollment, which grew 8.3%.

“I think that is a product of the strategies and investments that we’ve made in the state of Illinois,” Deputy Gov. Martin Torres, who oversees education policy in Gov. JB Pritzker’s administration, said in an interview. “Students are choosing our institutions. And

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