By Jeff Murphy,
September 20, 2016
WARRENSBURG, MO – Fall 2016 census data collected the week of Sept. 12-16 at the University
of Central Missouri indicate that while enrollment is below last year’s all-time record,
the university in the last five years has experienced a 20.2 percent increase in overall
student headcount and an 11.3 percent increase in total credit hours. Sustained numbers
and growth in minority populations that include African American, Hispanic and Asian
students also are being experienced at UCM.
UCM President Charles Ambrose spoke briefly about enrollment and the university’s
success in graduating students when he presented his State of the University Address
Thursday, Sept. 15 in Hart Recital Hall. He emphasized that the university’s focus
is on academic excellence and the overall objective is to help students earn their
degree. The president pointed out that last year the university graduated 707 more
students than it did the previous year, which he said is consistent with a string
of continuous enrollment increases that took place between fall 2007 to fall 2015,
a time when the number of Missouri students entering college was decreasing overall.
“It makes it difficult within a declining demographic and a very competitive marketplace
to sustain that degree of enrollment growth,” Ambrose said. “This is the first fall
semester in almost a decade we don’t have more headcount students on this campus than
we’ve had the year before.”
He added, however, that “this is probably the most academically prepared class since
2007, and one of the three most academically prepared classes we’ve had since 1994.”
The average student ACT score in fall 2016 is 22.4, up from 21.92 a year ago, and
21.68 in 2011. The university also has the largest enrollment in the Honors College,
marching band and ROTC, according to the president.
Combined graduate and undergraduate student headcount for fall 2016 is 13,988 students,
down 2.8 percent from a year ago. Enrollment since 2011, when there were 11,637 students,
has grown by 20.2 percent, a 2,351-student increase. Of this fall’s total student
population, undergraduates account for 9,786 enrollments, and graduate students comprise
4,202 of the total population.
Total enrollment reflects data submitted to the federal Integrated Postsecondary Education
Data System (IPEDS), and does not include exclusive course auditors, people taking
courses for no-credit, members of the THRIVE program, Visiting Consortium and Continuing
Education/No Credit students. When these students are factored in, the total headcount
is 14,148.
The university continues to enjoy a diverse campus and census data shows slight percentage
gains among the largest minority groups that include Black/African American students
representing 7.7 percent of the total student population, up 0.2 percent from a year
ago; Hispanic students accounting for 3.4 percent of the student body, up 0.3 percent;
and Asian students representing 0.8 percent of the students, an increase of 0.1 percent.
The university has initiated measures over the years that include the Learning to
a Greater Degree Contract for student completion to help increase student retention
rates. Census data shows that the one-year retention of first-time full-time freshman
since 2011 has gradually climbed from 68.7 percent to 70.8 percent.
With its overall increase in students over the past five years, UCM has experienced
strong graduation rates. During the 2015-2016 academic year, the university has graduated
a total of 4,133 students, including both undergraduates and graduate students. This
represents a 65.1 percent increase over the total 2,503 students who graduated in
2010-2011.
