Contact: Sammy McDavid
By more than 780 students, Mississippi State is breaking the previous state university enrollment record it set last year at this time.
As of Tuesday [Sept. 2]--the first working day after the close of registration--a total of 15,645 students are on the Starkville and Meridian campuses and at off-campus classes in Vicksburg and the John C. Stennis Space Center in Hancock County. The 5.3 percent jump over 1996 is the third record enrollment for the university in as many years.
Of the total enrollment figures, 12,812 are in freshman through senior classes, while 2,833 are pursuing master's and doctoral degrees.
The university has established yet another state enrollment record for the main campus alone. After enrolling slightly more than 14,000 last year, the Starkville campus now has 14,788 taking classes--a 5.1 percent increase and only about 200 shy of the next milestone of 15,000.
"Throughout its 120-year history, Mississippi State has attracted capable, hard-working and determined students from throughout the state, the nation and the world," said President Donald Zacharias. "That continues, even as our student body grows larger and more diverse."
Zacharias, the school's 12-year and second longest-serving leader, said Starkville campus enrollment increased by 724, including 165 more freshmen than last year.
"This freshman class of 2,030 also represents another on-campus record," he said. "For that achievement, we thank both the students and their parents for continuing to place considerable trust in the work and mission of this institution."
In addition to freshman enrollment, the university recorded a 7.1 percent increase in the total number of African-American students attending classes statewide. That number now is 2,362, an increase of 156 over last year.
Also, a record 2,833 graduate students are contributing to the total enrollment picture.
While Sept. 2 marked the end of regular registration, students will continue to sign up for continuing education courses the university offers at nearby Columbus Air Force Base and through off-campus programs.