MSU, OTC show increases in semester enrollment

MSU’s official enrollment for the semester is 19,654 students, a 2 percent increase from last spring.

Growth was seen in a number of populations: minority students, out-of-state and international students, transfer students and graduate students.

“We have focused efforts on these students, and our efforts have yielded results,” said Don Simpson, MSU assistant vice president for enrollment management and services, in a news release.

Minority student enrollment saw a 6.7 percent increase. Also on the increase was international student enrollment, up 25 percent, and out-of-state student enrollment, which grew 8.4 percent.

Increases in out-of-state and international enrollment can be partly attributed to the school’s new Missouri Outreach Graduate Opportunity Scholarship, officials say. The scholarship program, introduced last fall, offers partial remission of out-of-state fees for students from other states and countries who enroll in certain graduate programs.

Since its inception, MSU has awarded the scholarship to 44 students from 11 states and five countries.

Degree-seeking graduate student enrollment also increased – by 9.8 percent – as did transfer student enrollment, which showed the biggest gain at 26 percent.

MSU recently has put an emphasis on bringing students in from Ozarks Technical Community College by having a staff person solely responsible for working with those prospective transfers.

OTC also announced an increase in student enrollment this semester. The school on Friday released its official student total of 9,334, a 3 percent increase from a year ago.

The community college’s regional education centers have grown as well. Students at its Branson, Lebanon and Waynesville centers number 590 this semester, up 6 percent from last year.

OTC’s new Richwood Valley campus in Christian County has 521 students enrolled for its first semester of operation.[[In-content Ad]]