Students react on low enrollment at University of Mississippi

OXFORD, Miss. (WCBI)- Earlier this week we told you about the declining enrollment at the University of Mississippi. It’s been a trend over the last few years.

For the third year in a row, the University of Mississippi saw a decrease in student enrollment. A lot different from a 22 year stretch of rising numbers.

Chancellor Glenn Boyce said in a statement the university is aware of the challenge that the university faces.

“We recognize that it is a challenging environment to recruit students because of declining numbers of college and university students nationally, and we are addressing this challenge through additional investments in technology, marketing and recruiting,” Boyce said. “We are proud to offer an unsurpassed learning environment and life-changing student experiences,” Boyce said in a press release.

University leaders say enrollment numbers started to go down in 2017.

The university reached its peak in enrollment in 2016 with 24,250 students enrolled.

Then in 2017 Ole Miss saw a 1.9% decrease in enrollment.

In 2018 it dropped even more with a student population of just over 23,000.

This fall, the University of Mississippi enrolled just over 22,000 students across all six campuses, according to UM Communications.

Students like senior Chauncey Taylor says he believes that the enrollment rate is decreasing because of the recent climate of the university.

“Personally, I’m not surprised. A lot of times just being a student I see a lot of things that make me think man that probably looks bad from the outside looking in, so it doesn’t surprise me seeing outsiders not wanting to come into this situation,” said Taylor.

However he also says work is being done or a shift is being made.

“I think our students are very proactive and I think we have a lot of departments that are very active in changing what Ole Miss quote on quote is to the general population,” said Taylor.