Southern Illinois News

Blaine Wilhour, State Representative of Illinois, has expressed concerns over the University of Illinois' enrollment policies. He said that the university enrolls only about 60% in-state students and advocated for legislative measures to increase the proportion of Illinois residents in admissions. This statement was made on X.

"BS Gov. Pritzker," said Blaine Jacob Wilhour, State Representative from Illinois. "Tell this to the thousands of good Illinois students who flee to the SEC because University of Illinois doesn't prioritize IL students. If you really cared about this you would support my legislation mandating U of I get to 90% in state students by 2030. U of I sits around 60% or under for IL students which is pathetic for a land grant university."

The University of Illinois recently revised its admissions policies to prioritize in-state applicants following criticism regarding the low number of Illinois residents being admitted. The changes include new limits on out-of-state slots and a heightened focus on serving local students, as reported by the Chicago Tribune.

According to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s 2023 enrollment report, 55% of new freshmen were Illinois residents, while 21% were from out-of-state and 24% were international students. This data reflects a slight increase in in-state representation following the policy changes.

A 2023 analysis by Higher Ed Data Stories found that Ohio State enrolled 75% in-state freshmen, Michigan 62%, and the University of Illinois 55%. This places Illinois below many peer land-grant universities for resident enrollment despite a national trend toward majority in-state admissions.

Wilhour is a Republican State Representative from Illinois’ 110th District, first elected in 2018. He is also a farmer, Army National Guard veteran, and serves on the Agriculture & Conservation and Revenue committees, as reported by Ballotpedia.