Enrollment at the University of Mississippi is up 11% from last year, according to the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning, which finalized its figures on Nov. 1, 2024. 

UM’s Oxford campus now boasts a record enrollment of 23,981, which is a 2,385 student increase over last year’s enrollment of 21,596. In fall 2023, UM enrollment increased by 8.7% from 19,869 in 2022 to 21,596. 

Including the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, enrollment at UM grew from 24,710 to 27,124 students, constituting a 9.8% increase. UMMC’s individual enrollment grew from 3,114 to 3,143 between 2023 and 2024, marking a 0.9% increase.

The overall enrollment at Mississippi’s eight public universities increased 3.6%, with 79,817 students enrolled as compared to 77,074 students in fall 2023.

Several other universities in Mississippi also saw an increase in enrollment between fall 2023 and fall 2024. Alcorn State University is up 3.5% from 2,894 to 2,995 students. Mississippi State University is up 2.2% from 22,657 to 23,150 students. Mississippi Valley State University is up 0.4% from 2,196 to 2,205 students. University of Southern Mississippi is up 0.5% from 13,110 to 13,170 students. 

Enrollment at three state universities decreased from fall 2023 to fall 2024. 

The Mississippi University for Women is down 1.5% from 2,227 to 2,193 students. Delta State University is down 2.3% from 2,716 to 2,654 students. Jackson State University is down 3.6% from 6,564 to 6,326 students. 

Alfred Rankins Jr., the state commissioner of higher education, is positive about the increase in enrollment.

“In these challenging economic times, it is encouraging to see more students pursuing an education that will pay dividends throughout their careers and build a strong workforce to fuel our economy,” Rankins said in the most recent Mississippi IHL board meeting.