Missouri Western had 5,707 students enrolled as of the official fall 2018 census date Sept. 24, an increase of 2.6 percent over fall 2017. The number includes a 5.5 percent growth in the number of new freshmen. Over the past two years, the University has seen a 22.6 percent jump in freshman enrollment.
Additionally, there was a 42 percent jump in the number of students taking 16 credit hours or more, which is due in part to the Finish in Four initiative launched in 2018, as well as intentional University-wide efforts encouraging students to plan ahead and complete their degree in a timely manner.
Dual credit courses, which are taken by high school students to earn college credit, were up 21.7 percent over 2017, for a total of 1,224 students.
In summer 2018, 1,266 students took courses, with 696, or 54.9 percent, enrolled only online. The number of online courses taken in the summer reached a new high of 1,503, a 13 percent increase over summer 2017 online enrollments.