MU’s freshman class projected to grow by more than 14%

Transfer admissions and successful career outcomes rate also remain high

May 2nd, 2018

COLUMBIA, Mo. ­— The University of Missouri is expecting a double-digit percentage jump in the size of its freshman class this fall based on early deposits. Thus far, 4,547 students have paid enrollment deposits for the fall, a 14.4 percent increase over this time last year. Officials said that students can continue to enroll throughout the summer, so the final number could change between now and August.

“There are many institutions these students and their families could have selected, and we are honored and delighted they chose Mizzou. We are eagerly anticipating the arrival of our new students and look forward to welcoming them to their new home,” Chancellor Alexander Cartwright said. “I’m especially proud that not only are we attracting new students, we’re retaining our students at near record rates and our graduates are successful in attaining their post-college career goals. That tells me that students are finding their niche and thriving, whether they are engaged in undergraduate research, taking on leadership opportunities or volunteering in the community.”

The projected average ACT of MU’s incoming freshman class is 26, making the class among the best and brightest in the state.

MU has focused on enrollment activities in the past year by adding more personal outreach, more events in high schools and at college fairs, and increased out-of-state recruitment.

“We called on our team to evaluate the total recruitment experience, and we’ve reimagined the path to becoming a Tiger,” said Pelema Morrice, vice provost for enrollment management. “I could not be more excited about our new, incoming students. Mizzou has momentum, and we plan to keep that energy going.”

In addition to strong freshman enrollment numbers, Mizzou also expects an increase in transfer students based on early indications. This has been a focus for the university over the past few years. For example, a year ago MU officials formalized a partnership with Moberly Area Community College that is designed to help students transition to MU. Called MIZZOUMACC, the initiative is administered through MU’s Community College Pathways Program.

“We will be watching those numbers closely over the next several weeks,” Morrice said. “We value our partnerships with community colleges, and we want students to know they are welcome at Mizzou no matter where their journey in higher education began.”

In addition, in the past year the campus announced several affordability initiatives, including:

• The Missouri Land Grant Compact, which covers the tuition gap for any Pell-eligible Missouri resident.
• The Border State Scholars award for eligible out-of-state students coming from one of Missouri’s eight border states: Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Oklahoma or Tennessee.
• The Black and Gold Scholarship expands MU’s out-of-state scholarships for eligible children of alumni.
• A new ROTC scholarship covers room and board costs for the freshman year for incoming ROTC students who are national scholarship winners from the Army, Air Force, Navy or Marines.
• A reduction in the cost of Mizzou’s most common housing and dining plans.
• Changes to student charge that prevent students from accumulating debt for non-academic expenses.
• A textbook initiative encouraging Open Educational Resources in classes, as well as the AutoAccess option for textbooks at all four campuses. As a result, textbooks at the Mizzou Store this fall are, on average, 18 percent cheaper than they were in fall 2016.

“Mizzou already is an outstanding value by many measures, and our students borrow 25 percent less than the national average to pay for college. Furthermore, our students are in demand—a recent survey found 90.4 percent of our students found successful career outcomes,” Cartwright said. “As a land-grant university, it is our responsibility to ensure that we are doing everything in our power to make higher education more accessible and to give a higher return on our students’ investments.”

Pronunciation guide: Pelema is pronounced Peh-leh-mah. Morrice is pronounced “Morris.”