Enrollment is (officially) down at Missouri

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As of the first day of classes, Mizzou enrolled 4,799 freshmen — the smallest class in almost a decade. That number is down more than 1,600 incoming freshmen from fall 2015.

University officials braced for a smaller freshman class for months following a string of events last fall that brought the campus under national scrutiny. Protests centered largely around matters of race led to deep divisions among the campus and community and to the resignation of the school’s top two leaders.

Preliminary data show a 12 percent decline in out-of-state undergraduate students, and a 6 percent decline of in-state undergraduate students compared to fall 2015.

Graduate student enrollment also took a hit of about 7 percent. A falling-out last year between graduate students and administration was another national narrative after the students lost their benefits and voted to unionize.

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The drop is even worse than officials at the school were predicting last spring. In March, interim chancellor Hank Foley warned the school was facing a drop of 1,500 students.

The decline is wreaking havoc on the school’s budget, which has a hole of about $30 million. To contain costs and reflect its shrinking population, the school has already shuttered several dormitories.

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