Chicago State University enrolled its largest freshman class in a decade this fall — an encouraging trend at the state’s only predominantly Black university, which has struggled with declining enrollment and funding cuts in recent years.

Undergraduate enrollment was up by 3.7% at public universities across the state, according to state data released this week . Statewide, students of color drove much of that growth.

The number of Black students enrolled at public universities across Illinois increased by nearly 10%. Latino student enrollment was up more than 8%.

Chicago State University on the Far South Side led the pack with a 15% spike in undergraduate enrollment, doubling the size of its freshman class from 135 to 286. The increase was significant enough that university faculty had t

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