Projections of Postsecondary Education in Illinois
The purpose of this report is to provide state-level projections of postsecondary enrollment, credential production, and the college-educated population in order to inform the Illinois P-20 Council’s strategy for creating and meeting attainment equity goals. Projections are developed for several underrepresented, non-traditional, and historically disadvantaged groups, including Black, Latinx, low-income, and older adult populations.
Two types of projections are provided throughout the report. First, a “status quo” projection assumes that current rates of college enrollment, completion, and attainment will largely remain constant through 2035. These status quo projections show that the state would fail to make significant progress in bridging attainment gaps. Second, “equity scenario” projections show an alternative future created by gradually closing gaps in enrollment, completion, and attainment over the same projection period.
The projections in this report are not intended to be used as precise forecasts or predictions. Several data and methodological limitations combined with the inherent uncertainty of the future permit only broad visions of possible futures in postsecondary education. Rather, the projections should be used to understand the magnitude of the challenges ahead, the potential implications for postsecondary system capacity and resources, and the possible targets that should be set for enrollment and completion to meet attainment goals.
