Mississippi Public Universities - IHL News - MISSISSIPPI PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES SET RECORD ENROLLMENT FOR SECOND CONSECUTIVE YEAR

MISSISSIPPI PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES SET RECORD ENROLLMENT FOR SECOND CONSECUTIVE YEAR

9/9/2016 - Jackson, Miss.

Record numbers of students have enrolled in Mississippi Public Universities this year, demonstrating they understand that degrees equate to better jobs. The university system enrollment of 83,016 reflects the largest fall enrollment experienced by the system, surpassing last year's record fall enrollment of 81,024.

"There is no doubt that earning a degree is a solid investment in the future," said Dr. Glenn F. Boyce, Commissioner of Higher Education. "Record enrollment clearly shows that our students understand the importance of investing in higher education."

Mississippi Public Universities
Office of Strategic Research
Student Enrollment, Fall 2015 and Preliminary Fall 2016

Unduplicated Headcount	Fall 2015	Preliminary Fall 2016	Number Change	Percent Change
Alcorn State University	3,518	3,730	212	6.0%
Delta State University	3,460	3,587	127	3.7%
Jackson State University	9,802	9,811	9	0.1%
Mississippi State University	20,873	21,622	749	3.6%
Mississippi University for Women	2,673	2,960	287	10.7%
Mississippi Valley State University	2,309	2,502	193	8.4%
University of Mississippi University of Mississippi University of Mississippi Medical Center	23,838 20,827 3,011	24,250 21,260 2,990	412 433 -21	1.7% 2.1% -0.7%
University of Southern Mississippi	14,551	14,554	3	0.0%
System Total	81,024	83,016	1,992	2.5%

"These figures reflect fall enrollment, but do not tell the entire story," said Dr. Boyce. "The fall semester is typically the largest single semester, but there are many more students who attend the universities during the course of a full academic year."

During the 2016 academic year, total student enrollment was a record 95,449. This figure reflects the cumulative number of students enrolled at each institution for the Summer 2015, Fall 2015, and Spring 2016 terms. Total student enrollment in the 2015 academic year was 93,833.

"What is equally important to record enrollment is that we are also granting degrees in record numbers," said Dr. Boyce. "These graduates have increased earning power, which will in turn help move Mississippi's economy forward."

In 2016, Mississippi Public Universities granted 17,305 baccalaureate and advanced degrees. In 2015, Mississippi Public Universities awarded 16,813 degrees.

A report released this summer by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, America's Divided Recovery: College Haves and Have-Nots 2016, cited research that found, in the recovery from the Great Recession, over 95 percent of jobs created during the recovery have gone to college-educated workers: Those with at least some college education have captured 11.5 million of the 11.6 million jobs created during the recovery. The report also noted that 8.4 million of those jobs have gone to those with a bachelor's degree or higher, while high school jobs only grew by 80,000.

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The Mississippi Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning governs the public universities in Mississippi, including Alcorn State University; Delta State University; Jackson State University; Mississippi State University including the Mississippi State University Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine; Mississippi University for Women; Mississippi Valley State University; the University of Mississippi including the University of Mississippi Medical Center; and the University of Southern Mississippi.

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