NWMSU Announces Enrollment Increase For 6th Consecutive Year

Northwest Missouri State University announced another enrollment increase in their unofficial count this week.

Northwest reported a fall semester headcount of 8,071 students to begin the 2023-24 academic year. The figure was 7,715 on the first day last year and represents a 4.6 percent increase in total enrollment over last year. It is the sixth straight year that Northwest has reported overall growth.

Northwest reports 75 percent of its 2022 freshman class returned to the University for a second year.

The University’s graduate student enrollment increased by 23 percent from a year ago to 3,159, while its first-time graduate headcount is 843. That is an increase of 16 percent. Among all graduate students, 890 come from 11 other countries, setting a new high in the University’s history for international graduate students.

Northwest’s overall international headcount of 1,032 students also set a record on the first day of classes. That headcount is a 23 percent increase from a year ago and surpassed the University’s previous high of 855 international students recorded during its fall 2022 census.

Enrollment for Northwest online programs totals 2,793 students, which is up about 23 percent compared to fall 2022.

All enrollment numbers are preliminary until Northwest’s official census occurs Monday, Sept. 18.