Stephens College sees enrollment increase

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Columbia College and Stephens College are seeing an increase in undergraduate enrollment this year, with Stephens College's undergraduate enrollment increasing by 60%.

According to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, undergraduate enrollment is on the upswing with a 2.5% growth in spring 2024. This marks a second consecutive semester of enrollment growth since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Stephens College is excited to welcome in the biggest undergraduate class the school has seen in a decade.

This increase is thanks to an enrollment plan that the school has had in the works for two years.

According to a press release, a new class schedule system and "Stephen's Promise" scholarship hope to draw in more students.

The new class schedule system, referred to as "block scheduling" is new this fall and allows students to enroll in one class at a time. Instead of attending five classes for four months, students can now enroll in one longer period class that runs for three-and-a-half weeks.

According to Stephens College President Dianne Lynch this change hopes to engage students more.

"It's also about how people learn once you get out of college, when you want to learn something, you don't say, 'I'm gonna learn five things at a time,  50 minutes, three days a week,'" Lynch said. "What you do is that you focus on one thing."

The Stephens Promise Scholarship gives free tuition to students whose adjusted family income does not exceed $75,000, maintain a 3.3 GPA, and live on campus.

This year, Columbia College has 850 total in-person students -- with around 360 living on campus -- and 8,700 students nationwide. Last year's in-person totals were at 861. Banks Hall reopened this year because of an interest of living on campus.

Columbia College is currently at 98% occupancy but may increase before the first day of classes.

"We still got about a week before we close out registration to begin the semester, so we have a little bit of time left," Columbia College's Vice President of Enrollment Dixie Williams, said. "But we are seeing a small uptick."

Both colleges will begin classes on Monday.