The sidewalks of MSU are overflowing with more diverse students, thanks to an increase in both overall and minority enrollment.
Preliminary enrollment numbers were released Friday for the 2002-03 school year, indicating enrollment is expected to exceed 44,900 students - about 700 more than last year’s 44,227. Final enrollment data will be available Sept. 19.
“We’ve been working to keep our enrollment at this level,” President M. Peter McPherson said. “Frankly, MSU is becoming a place where people want to come.”
Barbara Steidle, assistant provost for undergraduate education, said she thinks there are several factors influencing the 1.6 percent increase in enrollment.
“One of the very positive factors is an improvement in student retention,” she said. “Another factor is related to the new students. The new students who committed to MSU paid their advanced enrollment deposit and came to academic orientation, stayed with us in greater numbers than they might have in past years.”
She said the third factor relates to graduate students and seniors, and the impact the economy has with students entering graduate programs to enhance their credentials.
Graduate students increased from about 8,375, compared to 7,975 last year, an increase of 5 percent.
First time undergraduate students sent in a record of more than 25,200 applications, increasing their enrollment to about 6,885, compared to last year’s 6,767.
The Honors College is estimated to set a new enrollment record with 2,390, - the last high was 2,374 in 1971.
Provost Lou Anna Simon said the goal was to exceed the old record this year, but keep Honors College enrollment stable in the future.
Out-of-state enrollment increased to 15.5 percent of the student body from last year’s 15.3 percent, but still under 1995’s mark of 15.9 percent.
“It is a concern because we need to have a diverse and cosmopolitan make up of students, but it is hard since there is such a demand of highly qualified Michigan students applying,” Simon said.
Faces on campus also are more diverse than last year. About 16.4 percent of the total student body are minorities, about 220 more than last year.
American Indian/Alaskan native, Asian Pacific Islander, black (non-Hispanic) and Hispanic groups all increased in numbers.
“Any increase in the minority population at MSU is a good one,” no preference freshman Christy Barcroft said. “Diversity is key to becoming a well-rounded individual. It opens doors to new and different perspectives.”
The proportion of female students to total enrollment remained stable at 54 percent.
The Eli Broad College of Business has the largest enrollment with 5,845. The College of Social Science increased the most, adding about 340 students. The College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, which decreased by 5.5 percent, had the most decreased enrollment.
“It has been a very good admissions cycle,” Steidle said. “One of the things that seems evident to us is MSU seems to be increasingly a first choice institution among Michigan students.”
Staff writers Kelli Cynecki and Chrystal Griffin contributed to this report.
