UM Celebrates 2.3% Enrollment Growth, Record-High Retention
Since 2021, UM has grown by more than 16%, adding 1,562 students to its overall headcount.
www.umt.edu
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Enrollment up again!!!
- Thread starter grizfnz
- Start date
Good to see.
They seemed to have finally figured this out.
Also, I do know of a family who has a son and they visited both MSU and U of M on a tour. Their son said the U of M tour blew away the MSU tour. I hadn’t heard something like this for a while as it was usually the other way around. I thought this was refreshing and their son has chosen UM.
Also, I do know of a family who has a son and they visited both MSU and U of M on a tour. Their son said the U of M tour blew away the MSU tour. I hadn’t heard something like this for a while as it was usually the other way around. I thought this was refreshing and their son has chosen UM.
Copper Griz
Well-known member
The pendulum is swinging back. Also, AI is giving kids pause on what degrees they want to pursue. Engineering isn’t all that attractive anymore. Neither is accounting or law. Hits both schools, but MSU made hay on its proximity to Big Sky, the park and all things “Yellowstone.” Seems like that fad has slowed and prices for everything in Bozeman have gone up. Waded retired at the perfect time. She was a very smart lady and excellent President who leveraged every advantage. She started to slip at the end by allowing the DUI coaches to stick around.
wbtfg
Well-known member
My key takeaways….
Retention increased. Big increases in dual enrollment (hs kids taking college credit through Missoula college) and graduate “partnership programs”….i don’t know what that is, but there was a 300+ student increase.
4-year campus enrollment down 257 (4%)
First time freshmen at 4-year campus down 236 (16.9%)
First Time-Freshmen
MSU: 3,743
UM: 1,214
Undergraduate students
MSU: 15,142
UM: 7,874
Grad Students (including law)
MSU: 2,023
UM: 3,190
Total Enrollment:
MSU: 17,165
UM: 11,064
Retention increased. Big increases in dual enrollment (hs kids taking college credit through Missoula college) and graduate “partnership programs”….i don’t know what that is, but there was a 300+ student increase.
4-year campus enrollment down 257 (4%)
First time freshmen at 4-year campus down 236 (16.9%)
First Time-Freshmen
MSU: 3,743
UM: 1,214
Undergraduate students
MSU: 15,142
UM: 7,874
Grad Students (including law)
MSU: 2,023
UM: 3,190
Total Enrollment:
MSU: 17,165
UM: 11,064
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MSU having a first-time freshman class that's 3X UM's size is pretty nuts.
Most telling in this for me is 69% of the UM student body is from Montana. Compare that to the measly 49% at msu and that's a promising trend for UM.
I will say though, I'm a little surprised that the undergrad enrollment dropped by 250 kids. Not sure why and that gives me some pause. Maybe it's just as simple as an outlier in what's otherwise been a very positive trend for UM but they have a year to study it and figure out what's going on there and Bodnar and his staff are smart people who will figure it out. Glad to see graduate school and law school both continue to grow and put our overall enrollment up 253 kids. Now if we didn't have the setback in undergrad, we could've really had something this year! Still great news for UM!
wbtfg
Well-known member
Interesting spin.
Looking at total numbers. MSU has 1,572 new freshmen from the state Montana.
UM’s entire freshman class is 1,214.
Why is better to have a higher percentage of students from in-state?
All great info. My key takeaways:
-UM is awesome.
-MSU is doodoo.
It's like when Kia tries to say, "*Well, *pushes up glasses* the new Kia actually has more standard features than [better car brand]", and everyone's like, "Shut up, Kia. You're still a Kia. Go be a Kia over there while we talk."
Well of course that's gonna be the case when you guys still have 6,000 more kids than us. I just personally think it's a bad look when a state school has more than half of their kids coming from out of state.
Sorry man, but this is kind of ridiculous. They're getting more in-state kids than we are, and a ton more out of state. Those out of state kids mean more money for the school, and I would love it if we started getting more out of state kids to come here.
I think you can be happy about the direction we're going without resorting to cope like this.
I'm well aware of all of this and I am happy with the direction we're headed at UM. I was just pointing out that I admire that UM is heavily prioritizing MT kids. I think that's important. I as well would love more out of state kids and am hopeful they will find a way to start boosting that number. It's just a little head scratching to me why the percentages (phrasing this carefully so I don't get attacked again) of in state students are so contrasting. Maybe msu prefers it that way? Obviously it is more money and if that's the sole motivation, then that makes perfect sense. Who knows. I just thought it was interesting.
billingsgriz
Well-known member
Enrollment back up above 11,000 for the first time in almost 10 years, student retention up, Native enrollment up, veteran enrollment up, first-time college student enrollment up, graduate student enrollment up, College of Missoula enrollment up = looks good to me, we are definitely heading in the right direction--10 years ago and even five years ago, we couldn't say that but now under the dynamic leadership of UM President Seth Bodnar, West Point Grad, Rhodes Scholar, Iraq War veteran, Army Green Beret 
, high-ranking GE corporate executive, I like the direction we're heading!!!
, high-ranking GE corporate executive, I like the direction we're heading!!!
Been sayin' it for years: enrollment is cyclical; always has been, always will be.
HelenaHandBasket
Well-known member
So MSU has more Montana kids and more out-of-state students to fill the financial coffers. I guess I don't see the negative you are trying to spin.
HelenaHandBasket
Well-known member
Rocket scientist you are not.
mthoopsfan
Well-known member
This is attributable too and led by President Bodnar. It's been improving and in the making for most of the time he's been at UM. I think he's an all-star.
I think you can be a dick without being such a DICK. Seems like you love to challenge every post on here and you act and come off like you are the high and mighty all knowing poster here. Maybe you’re a good dude to hang out with in person but you come off as a total asshole on this board. I think we can all do a little better. We are all Griz fans.
