SEMO ENROLLMENT UP NEARLY 4 PERCENT

Southeast Missouri State University's enrollment stood at 8,342 students on the first day of fall classes Monday, up nearly 4 percent from a year ago.

But with students still enrolling in classes, school officials expect the total headcount will surpass 9,000 when final fall enrollment figures come out in four weeks.

"It is a good possibility that we will have a record enrollment," said Dr. Pauline Fox, vice president for administration and enrollment management. "Our numbers are really very good."

Fox said Southeast could break the university's record enrollment of 9,189, which occurred in fall 1984.

Last year, Southeast saw its enrollment climb by 919 students from the first day of fall classes to the final enrollment deadline. In both fall 1998 and fall 1999, Southeast gained more than 700 students during the four-week period, Fox said.

Southeast's residence halls are full with 2,349 students living on campus, school officials said.

The university's first-day enrollment included 7,519 undergraduates, up 4.8 percent from fall 2000.

Enrollment was up for beginning freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors.

Southeast had 1,607 beginning freshmen, up 6.4 percent. "That is just about where we expected our freshmen numbers to be," Fox said.

The university's enrollment included 1,589 sophomores, up 4.4 percent; 1,460 juniors, up 4.8 percent; 1,784 seniors, up 4.5 percent.

Graduate headcount stood at 823 on Monday, down 2.5 percent from the opening of school last year.

Art Wallhausen, associate to the president at Southeast, said graduate enrollment has increased by nearly 30 percent from the first day of classes to the final enrollment date in each of the last three years.

Last year, 347 graduate students enrolled after the first day of classes including those who signed up for courses at off-campus sites.