Northwest student census exceeds 6,500
TONY BROWN/DAILY FORUM
Halee Cook, Lanie Uehlin, Bethany Ceglenski, Tehya Miles, and Ali Filardo, pictured from left, leap on a trampoline Monday on the Memorial Bell Tower lawn at Northwest Missouri State University. The women, members of the Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority, were raising money for the Robbie Page Memorial fund, which supports playrooms, libraries, and other programs for children undergoing long-term hospital care. Northwest released its official fall census Monday, which showed an enrollment of 6,530 students, a slight increase over this time last year.
MARYVILLE, Mo. — Enrollment at Northwest Missouri State University this fall totals 6,530 students, campus officials announced Monday following completion of the school’s fall semester census.
The total headcount comprises 5,628 undergraduate students — a slight increase from fall 2015 — and 902 graduate students.
The headcount includes 1,347 first-time freshmen and 298 transfer students, which is up 17.8 percent from last fall. In addition, 70.7 percent of fall 2015 first-time, full-time freshmen returned to the university for their sophomore year.
“Northwest has embarked on a number of new enrollment strategies to impact student success and retention,” said Bev Schenkel, Northwest’s associate provost for enrollment and retention management. “These strategies are aimed at removing barriers and being proactive to ensure our students are successful at achieving their educational goals.”
In terms of campus diversity, Northwest reports that 1,497 current students, or 23 percent, come from underrepresented groups or countries besides the United States.
Minority enrollment totals 835 students, which represents almost 13 percent of the student body and a slight increase over the fall 2015 semester.
Northwest’s student count also includes 662 international students representing about 10 percent of the student body. These students hail from 35 countries with the majority coming from India, Nepal, China, and South Korea.
The university’s Missouri resident population increased to 4,192 students. Non-resident students have enrolled from 39 other states, in particular Iowa, Nebraska, and Kansas.
According to Northwest officials, current students posted an average ACT score of 22.5 and carried an average high school grade-point average of 3.38 on a 4-point scale.
