University of Missouri enrollment boost could help steady finances

Freshman enrollment at the University of Missouri has increased by double digits for the second straight year, according to MU’s four-week count of students.

Freshman enrollment is up by 16 percent, according to numbers released Tuesday. That’s in line with the increase reported on the first day of classes in August.

Total enrollment increased about 1 percent, with 30,046 students enrolled in classes.

The post-census numbers also confirm that about 88 percent of freshmen from last year returned to MU as sophomores. The university said this is the highest retention rate on record.

“We’re a bit ahead of schedule, which is great because it indicates to us that people are choosing Mizzou, that they are coming here for many different reasons.”

University spokesman Christian Basi said Wednesday that this boost in enrollment along with support from state legislature has helped the school’s budget remain stable.

“We need to be good financial stewards of the resources that are given to us,” Basi said.

Basi said the university does not anticipate any issues with the coming year’s budget, but continues to look at options with where that money will go.

“We are always going to be looking at what we want to do, what do we need to do to make that happen,” Basi said. “The university is constantly changing, so the budget is going to constantly evolve.”

Basi said the university is focused on providing students with what they want and with what current industries are asking of recent graduates.