Although the official number of incoming freshman is not yet certain because of students registering late or transferring elsewhere, Cotter said the number remains around 7,800, up nearly 600 from last year.

In 2000, the entering freshman class was 6,824, and since then, the incoming freshman class size gradually has increased by nearly 1,000 students.

But with the substantial increase of students living on campus this year, compromises are being made within residential housing.

After single rooms are factored in, the university has a maximum capacity of 15,000 students, said Sharri Margraves, co-director of Campus Living Services and the Department of Residence Life. As of last Thursday, about 15,347 students were registered to live in the dorms for the fall semester, she said.

As a result, a number of students are being introduced to transitional housing — dorms that temporarily must accommodate an extra student until a more suitable room is obtained. Students living in these dorms split the cost of the room, resulting in a rebate of more than $500 per person, she said.

Margraves said transitional housing is typical for MSU, but the number of students in transitional housing this year is higher because of renovations in Bailey and Rather halls in Brody Complex Neighborhood.

By allowing students to move in a day early and providing special transitional housing meetings for students and parents, she said the move-in process has been smooth.

“We’re actively working to connect with students in these housing situations,” she said.
For animal science freshman Amanda Moss, having two roommates in her Bryan Hall dorm instead of one doesn’t bother her.

“A lot of it is up to us,” Moss said. “We can stay if we want, or we can fill out a form to get reassigned in a different dorm.”

Resident mentors also were asked to take on roommates until alternative dorm spaces are available, which has never been done before, Margraves said.

“We had about 50 mentors that said they would be happy to have a roommate,” Margraves said. “It’s not ideal, but it’s something that will help.”

Supply chain management junior Spencer Sitto is among the resident mentors who agreed to take on a roommate to help out with the limited living space. He said he received an email this past summer from the Department of Residence Life asking mentors to volunteer to take on a roommate.

“I know the university needed help,” Sitto said. “It doesn’t bother me at all— I’m a people person.”
Resident mentors will receive a $100 stipend for each week they have a roommate until other rooms are available, Sitto said.

Cotter said the university’s ability to accommodate many students paired with the desire to create a diverse campus environment was the motivation for admitting such a large number of freshman students.

Thinking forward, Cotter said it would be very difficult to have such large classes for multiple years in a row.

“Each year is different,” he said. “The sense of timing to do this was right this year, but that may not be the case in following years. We will just have to plan accordingly.”

Staff writer Lauryn Schroeder contributed to this report.