The University of Mississippi posted its second consecutive record-breaking enrollment this fall, according to figures released Monday by the governing board of the state’s eight public universities. 

The state’s flagship university in Oxford now enrolls more than 27,000 students, an 11% increase over last year’s headcount. This propulsive growth is fueled by the largest-ever freshmen class in state history, high retention rates, and an increasing number of out-of-state students. 

“Our growth reflects the University of Mississippi’s position as a thriving destination of choice for higher education,” Chancellor Glenn Boyce said in a press release.

Through a spokesperson, the university declined to answer questions about the more than 2,400 new students, including how many are first-time freshmen, transfer students, or from out of state.

“While overall enrollment has been announced, demographic-level data is still being reviewed by the IHL with final approval expected next month,” Jacob Batte, the director of news and media relations, wrote in an email.

Not to be outdone, Mississippi State University also celebrated an all-time-high in enrollment of more than 23,000 students. The land-grant university enrolled more minority, international and veteran students this year than last, according to a press release that also noted it is the state’s only institution of higher learning to experience enrollment growth for nine of the last 10 years. 

“We’re focused on higher education at MSU being unequivocally accessible and are dedicated to ensuring every Bulldog student is on their path to a degree, including those who start at a community college or who have been out of college for a while,” President Mark Keenum said in the release. 

Rounding out the state’s three largest universities, the University of Southern Mississippi’s enrollment held just about steady at 13,170 students, gaining half a percentage point over the previous school year. 

As higher education officials wait for the enrollment cliff, Mississippi’s three top-tier research universities are scooping up an increasing share of students who pursue higher education in the state. This means the five other, less-resourced universities are competing for a declining pool of students and tuition dollars. 

Earlier this year, lawmakers asked the Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees about recommendations and strategies to help the state’s eight public universities weather the anticipated drop in enrollment. In the Southern U.S., Mississippi is expected to see the second-worse decline in high school graduates by 2027 after Virginia. 

Following the hearing, one lawmaker introduced a bill to close three universities that ultimately died in the Senate Colleges and Universities Committee. 

Overall, nearly 80,000 students are attending public universities in Mississippi, according to IHL’s figures. 

“Our universities offer a strong foundation for students from across the state and beyond, and these numbers reinforce the confidence of students and parents alike in the quality education available throughout our system,” Al Rankins, the IHL commissioner, said in a press release. “We are grateful to the Mississippi Legislature and Governor Reeves for partnering with us in keeping our universities affordable for Mississippi families.”

Most universities in the state gained enrollment. Mississippi Valley State University and Alcorn State University saw growth this semester. 

But Mississippi University for Women, Jackson State University and Delta State University’s enrollment dropped. 

Despite a 1.5% decline to 2,193 students this semester, the W welcomed its largest freshman class in four years, which the president credited to recent efforts to grow the enrollment, including increased advertising and marketing aimed at a larger pool of prospective students, more academic scholarships paired with an affordable tuition rate, and attendance at national college fairs. 

This semester, the W had 174 new freshmen, up 15 students from last year. 

“The growth in new freshmen is a testament to recent changes we have made in the recruitment process,” Nora Miller said in a press release. “We look forward to continuing that growth, while forging more pathways for community college transfer students to complete their baccalaureate degrees at The W.” 

Still, the enrollment cliff means it’s unclear the growth in the freshmen class will translate to more overall students in the coming years. A university spokesperson noted the drop in the number of college-going high school graduates will be challenging for the W. 

“The coming change in the high school graduate population/demographics will be a challenge for every higher education institution in Mississippi, but especially for regional universities like The W,” Tyler Wheat wrote in an email. 

Wheat added the university is looking to connect with students, especially those who might transfer from a community college. 

“Our goal is an enrollment that is healthy and sustainable for our institution,” he wrote. 

At Delta State, where enrollment woes recently led to major budget cuts, the president, Daniel Ennis, anticipated a drop in the number of students after 21 programs were cut. 

IHL’s numbers show that Delta State lost 62 students for a total of 2,654 students this semester, but the university says that is mostly not related to the program cuts. 

“Based on our preliminary numbers, the majority of the fall 2024 headcount reduction is related to non-degree-seeking part-time students, such as dual-enrollment high school students, post-baccalaureate students, and other non-degree-seeking students who occasionally take a course,” Christy Riddle, a spokesperson, wrote in an email. 

The university’s first-time freshmen class increased to 210 students this semester, which is three more than last year. Excluding dual credit students, the number of students enrolled full-time at Delta State rose by nearly 5% this year, Riddle added. 

Jackson State lost 238 students, putting its fall enrollment at 6,326. 

The university did not respond to questions about what caused the decline and if it has a plan to increase enrollment.

“We’re working on an enrollment release that we intend to share with the public,” Rachel James-Terry, the director of public relations, wrote in an email.

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