According to Mississippi State University officials, large graduating classes and the war on terrorism are responsible for the slight drop in enrollment this semester.
Enrollment at MSU campuses around the state fell slightly this year to a total of 16,236 students for the fall semester. These enrollment numbers, announced by the MSU office of student affairs, show a decline of about 374 students from last fall.
Jimmy Abraham, interim vice president for Student Affairs, said there are several reasons for the decline, including large graduating classes, tougher restrictions on international students and active duty military students serving in the Middle East.
However, he said large graduating classes were probably the biggest factor in the drop.
“We have just had two unusually large graduating classes,” Abraham said. “We’ve averaged awarding more than 3,700 degrees for each of the past two years.”
Director of international services Philip Bonfanti said international students are having a harder time getting into the United States to receive a higher education. He said new requirements have made some students choose to get their education in other countries.
The most significant changes in requirements are that international students must now have a visa interview and be able to prove they have the money to pay for their education. They also must prove that they are not trying to immigrate to stay in the United States.
“This is not as difficult for those students coming from more wealthy countries such as Japan,” Bonfanti said. “But students coming from a poorer country have a harder time proving that they are going to return when they graduate. And those who are coming from a Middle Eastern country face many other restrictions.”
Bonfanti said any Middle Eastern male age 20-25 is essentially “presumed to be a terrorist” by the government and must go through background checks, fingerprinting and registering with federal agencies in order to enter the country.
According to Bonfanti, these restrictions have many students looking for other countries that they can get into more easily.
“We had one student from Saudi Arabia who missed an entire year of his graduate program because he went home to see his family and had visa problems when he tried to return,” Bonfanti said.
The war on terrorism has not only affected international students but also interrupted the education of students serving on active duty in the military. According to the registrars office, an estimated 70 students are currently serving overseas.
Enrollment numbers might have been lower if not for an increase in the freshman retention rate, Abraham said. More than 81 percent of last year’s freshman returned to school this fall for their sophomore year. The retention rate is up 5 percent over the past five years.
As a result of the increase, Mississippi State received a national retention award for its use of programs designed to enable students to make the transition to college and stay in school.
“We are placing great emphasis on mentoring, academic advising, and support programs to help students succeed,” said Abraham.
Abraham said he hopes to see enrollment increase next year.
“We are doing everything we can,” said Abraham. “Our goal is for these numbers to increase next fall.”