USM Announces Fall 2021 Enrollment

Tue, 11/02/2021 - 04:12pm

The University of Southern Mississippi has enrolled 14,146 students for the Fall 2021 semester, including the most academically qualified freshman class in University history.

The enrollment total of 14,146 is slightly above the total of 14,133 in Fall 2019, the semester preceding the start of the pandemic. The University’s enrollment was 14,606 in the Fall 2020, when it was one of only two public universities in the state of Mississippi to achieve an enrollment increase.

The Fall 2021 enrollment includes 1,561 full-time, first-time freshmen with an average grade point average of over 3.50 for the first time in University history—marking the fourth straight year that number has increased. The freshman class also boasts an average ACT score of over 23 for only the second time in University history.

“I am so pleased The University of Southern Mississippi has been successful despite the challenges created by the pandemic since early 2020,” University President Rodney D. Bennett said. “Our forward momentum has continued with a productive and exciting fall semester, and I look forward to the many contributions our new and returning students will continue to make to the University and our surrounding communities.”

The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center reports that undergraduate enrollment fell by 3.2 percent this fall and that since Fall 2019, undergraduate enrollments have dropped by 6.5 percent.