By MATT PIKE
St. Joseph Post
Missouri Western State University saw an increase in enrollment this year.
Missouri Western reports the official census data four weeks into the fall semester is 4-Thousand, 395 students. That is a nearly two percent increase.
The university altered its academic calendar last year due to COVID-19, complicating year-to-year comparisons. This year’s enrollment is 1.74% higher than the enrollment in fall 2020 at the same point in the semester.
Missouri Western is seeing a significant increase in the number of high school students taking classes for credit through the Early College Academy. Also, the number of students taking classes in person is up significantly from a year ago. Enrollment in in-person undergraduate classes is up approximately 19 percent over 2020 and in-person freshman enrollment up 24 percent since last year.
Missouri Western reports a 20-percent increase in the enrollment of transfer students. While the university has had modest gains compared to this time last year, final census enrollment is about 500 students below the final 2020 census, which took place six weeks into the semester last year.
Recruitment for fall 2022 has already started. The number of applications and admissions are up significantly early in the recruiting cycle compared to last year.