Enrollment might be on the rise for the next academic year, but the increase isn’t coming from in-state students. Instead, MU is beginning to prepare for an increase in out-of-state students.
One reason for the decline in in-state students is a drop in Missouri high school graduates.
“We have been and are expecting a decline in the number of in-state students who are applying to MU, and that is solely based on population,” MU spokesman Christian Basi said. “There just are fewer high school graduates. However, we are expecting an increase in enrollment next year because we’ve had a lot of out-of-state graduates apply.”
During the next four years, Missouri high school graduates will drop by about 8,000 to 9,000, Enrollment Management Vice Provost Ann Korschgen said in email. It is not uncommon for the university to have ebbs and flows in enrollment.
“For the last nine years we have seen steady increases, so a decline would be a change for MU,” Korschgen said.
Budget Director Tim Rooney announced in a general faculty meeting the exact number of first-time students would be 6,093, which is up six from last year. Because the numbers are staying mostly the same campus will not be drastically affected.
“The decline in Missouri residents should not be that sudden or that dramatic that will affect housing, especially if we continue to have success recruiting out-of-state students,” Korschgen said.
Basi said the university just has to be sure to make sure they can handle incoming students since MU has no enrollment cap. Anyone who applies and meets the requirements will be admitted without taking someone else’s “spot.”
Much of the preparation is left to the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources and the College of Arts and Science since those schools deal with freshmen fulfilling general education requirements regularly.
“We are working carefully with a range of MU offices to make certain we are as ready as possible for the courses our entering students need in order to get off to a good start,” Arts and Science Dean Ted Tarkow said in an email. “Summer Welcome is the period of the year when we monitor course enrollments daily and make adjustments very regularly.”
