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 from 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, enrollment increased from 24,710 to 27,124 students, constituting a 9.8% increase. UMMC’s individual enrollment increased 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 the fall of 2023.

Alfred Rankins Jr., the 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.