The University of Missouri has a disaster on their hands. Enrollment is way down.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Mizzou’s enrollment plummet is more drastic than previously projected

This fall could mark the smallest class of incoming freshmen at the University of Missouri-Columbia in nearly a decade as the school continues to lose students, partly because of last fall’s protests.

The university on Wednesday announced the amount of students paying freshman tuition deposits — a key indicator of coming enrollment — has decreased by 1,470 compared to last year.

It’s a nearly 600 fewer students than what was projected in February, when the university was estimating 900 fewer incoming freshmen.

What it means is that Mizzou could have a freshman class of fewer than 5,000 students for the first time since 2007.

In contrast, the university enrolled 7,600 freshmen last fall. That number includes second-year students who did not complete enough credits to qualify as sophomores.

University administrators note that they’ve been expecting a drop-off for some time, as there are fewer high school students in the pipeline.

But last’s fall’s protests have also played a part.

“As we’ve been talking to prospective students and parents, we’ve been told the events of last fall have played a role in their decision-making process,” spokesman Christian Basi said.


 
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