Overall enrollment at Missouri State University’s Springfield campus is down for the fall semester.
There are 23,618 students enrolled at Missouri State University this fall, a decrease of 2.3 percent from the fall semester of 2020.
MSU President Clif Smart said in a statement he believes the pandemic is to blame.
“While we continue to focus on growth and retention, COVID has certainly taken a toll on students and their ability to manage the variety of course presentation options,” said Smart. “This is why the university continues its return to a more normal academic and campus experience while still maintaining a safe environment for our students and employees.”
But graduate student enrollment is higher than ever with 4,183 students enrolled in graduate level and doctoral programs.
Enrollment on the MSU-West Plains campus is up 1.6 percent.
International student enrollment increased by 7.6 percent since last fall to 1,605.
According to the university, students from every Missouri county, 49 states, the District of Columbia and the territories of Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, plus students from 93 other countries are enrolled at MSU this fall.