MC Enrolls 5,133 Students This Fall

Mississippi College freshmen Allie Wise, 18, of Tupelo, and April Simison, 18, of Mobile, Alabama are both nursing majors on the Clinton campus. The friends met for lunch at the MC cafeteria in early September.

Mississippi College residence halls are packed, retention rates are up, and there was an uptick in transfer students, school leaders reported Friday.

At the 190-year-old university, there are several reasons why 5,133 MC students are enrolled in early September.

“They do have a good nursing program and it’s a Christian school I wanted to go to,” said freshman April Simison, 18.

The Mobile, Alabama resident is among 585 new freshmen taking classes at America’s second oldest Baptist college.

Sophomore Ben Bertsch attended community colleges in Louisiana and Virginia before transferring to Mississippi College in late August.

“I decided to look up Christian colleges and this was the best one around,” says the 20-year-old Covington, Louisiana resident. MC’s administration of justice program was a big draw, too, added the future law enforcement officer.

MC officials are pretty optimistic that enrollment will grow in future years, whether it’s through on-line classes, graduate programs or at the undergraduate level. Enrollment topped 5,000 students in recent years. Last September, there were 5,152 students enrolled.

“The word is out in the student market we are an affordable option which offers premier as well as comprehensive academic programs in an intentionally Christ-centered environment,” said Mark Hughes, dean of enrollment services.

Residence halls, including year-old University Place, are loaded with 1901 students. That’s up from 1,887 students living on the Clinton campus last year. The 315 transfer students now tops the 268 transfers reported a year ago. The retention rate for freshmen inched up to nearly 80 percent compared to 78 percent last September.

There are some bright spots in specific graduate programs. The master’s in bio-medical sciences enrolls a record of 286 graduate students, noted Graduate Dean Debbie Norris. Students come from universities across the nation to upgrade their academic skills and get them better prepared to apply to medical or dental schools. Enrollment of first-year MC Law students is up, too.

Freshman Allie Wise, 18, of Tupelo is happy with her choice after just a couple of weeks of living on the Clinton campus. “I like the sense of community – it’s great,” says the nursing major. “The environment is like one big family.”

Hughes believes the university’s 17 NCAA sports teams helped attract students from across the United States and other countries.

MC leaders successfully completed a three-year transition and the Baptist-affiliated school was approved in July to become an official NCAA Division II member. Starting this fall, MC sports teams can compete in post-season NCAA Division II play. MC is a member of the Birmingham-based Gulf South Conference including rivals like Delta State, West Alabama, North Alabama and Valdosta State. Students are eligible for athletic scholarships. The Choctaws football team opens its 2016 season here 2 p.m. Saturday against Point University of Georgia.

In Jackson, MC School of Law officials are pleased to see a rise in first-year students. MC Law welcomed 135 first-year students, and that’s up from 122 a year ago.

“The rise in enrollment corresponds with the creation of new practical skills training opportunities at the law school,” said Meta Copeland, assistant dean of admissions.

New immigration and parent representation clinics and anew business transactions skills course contributed to the growth of 13 first-year MC Law students. Applications rose 20 percent.

Opened late August MC’s University Place residence halls are a hit with students. The 21^st Century facilities house 189 students. With kitchens, balconies and the latest amenities, the residence halls were the first new ones built in nearly two decades at Mississippi College.