CARBONDALE, IL. (WJPF) — Fall enrollment for SIU Carbondale is in. Numbers are down.

According to the university, total enrollment stands at 12,817 students. That’s 1,737 less than last year at this same time.

While the quantity of students is down, school administrators say the quality is up. Chancellor Montemagno points to a roughly 0.8% rise in the average ACT score of first time students.

Also, according to the university, freshman retention rates rose to just over 71%.