Northwest surpasses 9,000 mark for second consecutive year

Northwest Missouri State University’s total headcount is 9,152 students this fall, maintaining the threshold it crossed for the first time last year, according to the University’s fall census count.

After achieving a record headcount of 9,664 students a year ago, Northwest’s fall 2024 total represents a 5.3 percent decrease and breaks six consecutive years of growth at the University, which included record enrollments during the past four years. The unprecedented period of growth at Northwest led to its headcount rising by 40.9 percent between 2018 and last fall’s census, propelled by increases in dual credit students, graduate students and international students.

Northwest’s census count, which the University conducts annually 20 days after the start of the fall semester, recorded an undergraduate headcount of 5,241, and its graduate headcount is 3,911. Northwest enrolled 783 students in dual credit coursework this fall, and 716 of the University’s students are classified as international.

The census count this fall recorded enrollment increases among first-time education specialist degree seekers, which increased by 6.7 percent, and online graduate students, which increased by 7 percent.

Additionally, Northwest reports its student population identifying with underrepresented groups increased by 10.6 percent to 1,245 students. First-time freshmen identifying as underrepresented students increased by 54.9 percent. 

While the University’s in-state student population is 6,095, Northwest students hail from a total of 49 states this fall as the institution continues to draw well from Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska. Vermont is the only state not represented by a Northwest student this fall.

The University’s international student population represents 8 percent of the student body and hails from 47 other countries with most of those students coming from India, Nepal, Nigeria, Morocco South Africa.

The Northwest community welcomed new students outside the Administration Building during the University's Advantage Week in August. (Photo by Todd Weddle/Northwest Missouri State University)

About Northwest Missouri State University

Northwest is a coeducational, primarily residential four-year university that offers a broad range of undergraduate and selected graduate programs on its Maryville campus and through Northwest Online.

Northwest places emphasis on profession-based learning, giving students opportunities to build their résumés on campus in nearly every area of study. (Photo by Chandu Ravi Krishna/Northwest Missouri State University)

Founded in 1905, Northwest boasts a high retention rate and a graduation rate in the 95th percentile among its peers. Additionally, results of the Ruffalo Noel Levitz Student Satisfaction Inventory show Northwest students are more satisfied than students at national peers, and 78 percent of Northwest students report they would repeat their University experience, compared to 75 percent of students surveyed nationally at their respective institutions.

Furthermore, the University is a national model for student success and career placement with 93 percent of bachelor’s degree earners and 99 percent of master’s degree earners securing employment or continuing their education within six months of completing a degree at Northwest, according to the most recent data. 

Northwest places a high emphasis on profession-based learning to help graduates get a jumpstart on their careers while maintaining competitively low tuition rates and generous financial assistance to help minimize the financial barriers students may face when pursuing a college degree.

Students have opportunities to build their résumés with experiences on campus in nearly every area of study, including the Horace Mann Laboratory School, National Public Radio affiliate KXCV, the R.T. Wright Farm, Mozingo Outdoor Education Recreation Area or Knacktive, a student-driven integrated digital marketing communications agency. In conjunction with its emergency and disaster management program, Northwest organizes and hosts Missouri Hope, an annual mass casualty training exercise that attracts first responders and emergency workers from throughout the nation and provides hands-on training in preparation for a natural disaster.

The University’s vibrant and diverse learning community also offers more than 150 student organizations, and textbooks and a laptop are included in tuition, which saves students an estimated $6,800 over four years. Northwest offers 1,200 student employment positions, allowing students to build professional skills through its internationally benchmarked student employment program. 

For more information about Northwest, visit www.nwmissouri.edu/aboutus/facts/.