Fall enrollment numbers at Mississippi University for Women are up from last year, according to preliminary figures released this week by the state Institutions of Higher Learning.
The report says there are 2,697 students at The W this fall. The number was 2,629 last year.
MUW President Jim Borsig said the latest numbers represent the largest student population at The W in more than a decade.
“We believe The W offers an unparalleled opportunity for students who thrive in the personalized, small-class learning environment we offer,” Borsig said in a release.
The university president went on to say that while the university continues to focus on serving the local region, The W has students from 78 of Mississippi’s 82 counties. While 89 percent of The W’s students are Mississippi residents, the school also has students from 25 other states, as well as from 11 countries other than the U.S.
The W’s new freshman class is made up of 245 students. There are also 674 new transfer students on campus, a 13 percent increase from the previous year, according to the university.
“We value our community college partners and are pleased that The W provides a proven pathway to a baccalaureate degree for those who begin their studies at a two-year institution,” Borsig said.
This fall also marks an increase in on-campus residents, with 571 students living in six MUW residence halls, four of which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The university upgraded some of its residence halls this summer.
“I think we’re seeing the results,” Borsig said.
The W’s male student enrollment this year represents 19 percent of overall enrollment, a 1 percent increase from last year.
Looking statewide, approximately 79,909 students are enrolled in Mississippi’s eight public universities, according to the IHL. Last year, there were 79,038.
“While the increase system-wide is small,” Hank Bounds, the state commissioner of Higher Learning, said in a release. “It indicates that enrollment remains steady as students recognize an investment in their education today will pay dividends for the rest of their lives.”
The average age of a W student is 26.
William Browning was managing editor for The Dispatch until June 2016.
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