More students enrolled in MU courses after the first day of classes, bringing total enrollment up by 1.5 percent.
MU spokesperson Christian Basi says those who enrolled after August 22 are a mix of both undergraduate and graduate students, as well as students pursuing a degree in MU’s online program.
During the 2015 school year, there were 35,050 students enrolled. After the recent enrollment increase, the current amount of students is 33,266.
According to an MU News Bureau press release, the university’s retention rate is the third highest in history at 85 percent. The rate measures how many freshmen return to MU for their sophomore year.
MU Vice Provost of Enrollment Management Pelema Morrice says retaining students is just as important as attracting and graduating students, and the high rate is indicative of Mizzou as a whole.
“That class to me represents a lot in term of students who were here, who were living this experience and came back and I think that says a lot about the environment and kind of institution that we are,” Morrice said.
The increase, however, is not going to fix MU’s budget. Basi says MU will be working with the Missouri State Legislature on future appropriations to go towards the university.
Morrice says it is too early to predict what enrollment next year could look like.