OXFORD, Miss. – Following 11 consecutive years of
significant enrollment increases at the University of
Mississippi, administrators are breathing a sigh of relief
this fall, at least on the main campus in Oxford.
Enrollment finally seems to have leveled off on the campus
where more than 14,000 students took classes last fall.
This year, 13,910 students are enrolled at Oxford.
Preliminary figures released today (Sept. 12) by the Board
of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning show
UM’s total unduplicated head count for all four campuses is
17,323 – 11 more than last year.
“Our enrollment has been climbing steadily and consistently
for a decade, putting pressure on our residence halls and
classroom space, and requiring our faculty to teach more
and larger sections,” said Chancellor Robert Khayat. “We
now have an opportunity to catch up from the steady growth
we have experienced.”
Khayat pointed out that the university is hiring an
additional 40 new faculty this fall and has plans to build
a new residential college. A new law school building is
also on the drawing board that should enable the current
law school building to be converted for general classroom
use.
“This fall’s enrollment gives us some much needed breathing
room,” Khayat said.
Despite the modest decline on the Oxford campus, a record
2,194 students are enrolled at the University of
Mississippi Medical Center, up 102 students (4.9 percent)
over last fall. Enrollment jumps also have occurred in
Tupelo (9.0 percent), where 616 students are enrolled, up
51 students over last fall, and Southaven (7.2 percent),
where 853 students are taking classes, up 57 students over
last fall.
UM’s freshman class, with 2,471 students, is the
university’s second-largest ever recorded and includes 20
National Merit Finalists, one National Achievement Finalist
and five National Merit Semifinalists.
The university’s Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College
has enrolled 670 students, including 212 freshmen. Last
year, the honors college enrolled 610 students, of which
230 were freshmen.
“The average ACT score of all our honors college students
is still 30, so we are continuing to enroll only the
brightest,” said Douglass Sullivan-Gonzalez, the college’s
dean.
Preliminary figures indicate that 69 percent (11,951) of
all UM students are from Mississippi and 19.0 percent
(3,273) are minorities.