MC Enrollment Grows Again
That's up from the 4,592 MC students a year ago, which was the previous record, school officials said Wednesday.
New academic programs, stronger recruitment efforts and a quality education at the Baptist-affiliated school helped spark the increase.
"Parents and students have told us they want to invest in a college that emphasizes academics and the Christian faith," said Jim Turcotte, vice president for enrollment management and student affairs.
MC's graduate school experienced a slight increase - 1,092 students this fall from 1,000 students a year ago. The MC School of Law in downtown Jackson also saw its numbers grow to 554 students, up from 541 a year ago. The 540 first-time freshmen at MC compared to 512 a year ago. There are 3,089 undergraduates this fall compared to 2,968 a year ago.
New programs like the doctorate in educational leadership attracted 14 new students, including some educators who aspire to be school superintendents. MC also reports 407 students in its Accelerated Degree Program that caters to working adults. They are able to take evening classes on the main campus in Clinton and branches in Brandon and Madison. MC also launched an engineering/physics program this fall that is appealing to students.
Mississippi's oldest university with roots dating back to 1826, MC is also the state's largest private university.
Turcotte said he's been impressed with the quality of students coming to MC. "We have been blessed to enroll some of the best and brightest student leaders in the South."
Last month, the first Forbes.com survey included MC in its list of "America's Best Colleges," after taking into account the quality of education, costs, the success of its alumni and comments from students. Forbes surveyed 569 undergraduate colleges. MC ranked 129th in the United States.
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