William Woods expecting major increase in new students

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

William Woods University expects about a 40% increase in new students when classes start next week.

The university said Thursday that it expects 269 new students in classes Monday, an increase of 78 over last year's first-week number. The first-day count is expected to be the biggest since 2017 and will lead to an overall 10% increase in the on-campus population, according to a news release.

William Woods is seeing success despite overall higher education trends. Enrollment declines have been the trend each year since 2018 at public and private higher education institutions, the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center reports.

The university says the largest increase in incoming majors is in equestrian science, which will see a 77% increase this fall.