Fall admissions deferred at SEMO

Prospective Southeast Missouri State University students applying for campus housing won't be admitted until spring because there's no more room to house them this fall, school officials said Friday.

To date, the university has more than 2,600 students signed up for campus housing this fall, said Bruce Skinner, residence life director at Southeast. That exceeds the record 2,494 students who lived on campus during the 2003-2004 academic year, officials said.

"We are expecting a large freshmen class, in excess of 1,700 students this fall," said Dr. Debbie Below, director of admissions and enrollment management at Southeast.

Southeast expects 1,390 new students to be housed in campus residence halls this fall, up from 1,105 new students last fall semester.

Beginning freshmen or new transfer students with fewer than 57 completed credit hours, who are under 21, unmarried, aren't supporting dependent children, aren't veterans and don't live with their parents are required to live on campus, school officials said.

The university will continue to accept admissions for the fall semester for students within commuting distance of Southeast who aren't requesting campus housing, Below said.