Enrollment up at Mississippi universities, down at community colleges

Enrollment is down 2.7 percent at the University of Southern Mississippi. (USM photo)
Enrollment is down 2.7 percent at the University of Southern Mississippi. (USM photo)
Enrollment is down 2.7 percent at the University of Southern Mississippi. (USM photo)

JACKSON, Mississippi (AP) — Enrollment rose slightly for the fall semester at Mississippi’s eight public universities, but fell for the fourth straight year at the state’s 15 community colleges.

Preliminary counts released Wednesday show the number of students rose 1.1 percent at universities to 79,909 overall and fell 1.8 percent at the community colleges to 76,266.

Students flocked to Mississippi’s community colleges and universities during the recession, trying to improve their job credentials. But leaders say a falling unemployment rate and restrictions on federal student aid may be cutting enrollment at community colleges.

Community College Board executive director Eric Clark said this year’s drop was less steep than over the three previous years, when enrollment fell by 11,000 students.

“Our enrollments are settling as the economy is recovering and our citizens are finding jobs or enrolling directly at a university,” Clark said.

Among universities, enrollment grew by the largest percent at Mississippi Valley State University, while Alcorn State University shrank the most.

Mississippi Valley officials have struggled with falling enrollment, raising questions about the future of the Itta Bena school. The 91-student rise to 2,294 students doesn’t come close to making up the 1,400 students the university lost over the past decade.

Student numbers also continued to surge at the University of Mississippi, which added more than 800 to push enrollment past 23,000. Mississippi is now almost 3,000 students larger than Mississippi State University. Its enrollment was smaller than Mississippi State as recently as 2010.

Mississippi’s freshman class rose to 3,814 this year, and university officials said 85 percent of last year’s freshmen returned as sophomores this fall.

“While we’re very happy with the endorsement of so many new freshmen this fall, we’re particularly pleased with the success of the first-year programs we have in place to help freshmen adjust to the rigors of a world-class university,” Mississippi Chancellor Dan Jones said.

Along with Alcorn State, the University of Southern Mississippi also had a big decrease. President Rodney Bennett said USM is focusing on recruiting and keeping better-qualified students. USM said grades and ACT scores of new freshmen were the highest in university history, and an earlier application deadline contributed to the drop.

Among community colleges, enrollment grew by the largest percentage at Northeast Mississippi Community College while it shrank the most at Meridian Community College.

Besides Northeast Mississippi, other community colleges that saw increases were Pearl River Community College and Hinds Community College.

Scott Alsobrooks, vice president for economic and community development at Pearl River, said demand for associate of applied science degrees and proficiency certificates remain strong

“Many programs are at capacity and have waiting lists to enter,” he said. “Graduation and employment rates for students in these programs remain robust.”

ENROLLMENT NUMBERS

JACKSON, Mississippi — Enrollment for Mississippi’s eight public universities rose slightly this fall, while the number of students at the state’s 15 community colleges fell for the fourth year in a row. Here are preliminary totals for each school and the percentage change from last fall:

UNIVERSITIES

Alcorn State: 3,717, -3.4 percent

Delta State: 3,614, +2.6 percent(asterisk)

Jackson State: 9,508, +4.1 percent

Miss. State: 20,138, -0.1 percent

Miss. Univ. for Women: 2,697, +2.6 percent

Miss. Valley State: 2,294, +4.1 percent

Univ. of Miss.: 23,096, +3.6 percent

Univ. of Southern Miss.: 14,845, -2.7 percent

Total all universities: 79,909, +1.1 percent

COMMUNITY COLLEGES

Coahoma: 2,044, -1.4 percent

Copiah-Lincoln: 3,172, -4.4 percent

East Central: 2,745, -3.2 percent

East Miss.: 4,448, -4.7 percent

Hinds: 12,268, +1.6 percent

Holmes: 6,331, -4.3 percent

Itawamba: 6,081, -1.9 percent

Jones: 4,507, -3.3 percent

Meridian: 3,427, -8.4 percent

Miss. Delta: 2,783, -7.5 percent

Miss. Gulf Coast: 10,209, -2.1 percent

Northeast Miss.: 3,513, +6.9 percent

Northwest Miss.: 8,004, -0.2 percent

Pearl River: 4,775, +1.5 percent

Southwest Miss.: 1,959, -3 percent

Total all comm. colleges: 76,266, -1.8 percent