U of I - lowering acceptance rate?

<p>So I heard from the grapevine that this year U of I is accepting 500 less people (IL residents I'm assuming).</p>

<p>Do you guys think this is true or is it just a rumor?
I know a few months ago they were contemplating whether to lower the instate acceptance rate, but then they got so much crap for it and decided against it. And I do know that admissions gets tougher each year...
but do they really have this outlined plan on accepting 500 less people? :S
Some teacher told kids at my school this but I have no idea where he/she heard it from. Just thought I'd see if you all knew anything...and if you have any proof of it...</p>

<p>What you are referring to is the five year strategic plan dated January 2006 and actually completed and released in the spring which included the plan to reduce the current freshman class of about 7500 to about 6500 by 2011 via some reduction each year, although not 500 this year but probably more like a 200 reduction. That is the plan that also discussed increasing the percentage of OOS students from about 10% to 15-20% which caused an outcry and the university's withdrawal of that OOS increase plan. </p>

<p>You can find the plan here: <a href="http://www.uillinois.edu/president/strategicplan/plans/UIUC%20STRATEGIC%20PLAN%20February%2013%202006.pdf%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.uillinois.edu/president/strategicplan/plans/UIUC%20STRATEGIC%20PLAN%20February%2013%202006.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>You should note that how much of that plan will actually be carried out is still in a state of flux since many, including many state senators and congressmen who vote on funding, have been highly critical of any provisions that lower the chances of an Illinois resident getting admitted. Moreover, some suspect that some aspects of the plan that called for student reductions and increases in OOS students were designed mainly to generate backlash from members of the state government so the university could bring home to those members that the reason the changes were being made was the reduction in funding by the government and, based on that, the university would try to get commitments from those officials to provide increased funding in return for withdrawing relevant portions of the plan.</p>