On Aug. 24, the University of Missouri opened its doors for the fall semester, welcoming the largest student body and the fourth-largest freshman class in the history of the university. Among the highlights of the 2015-16 school year are a record number of high-achieving students — those students who scored a 30 or higher on the ACT — a record retention rate, and the most diverse student body in MU’s history.
“Recruiting the best and brightest students always has been our goal at Mizzou,” said Barbara Rupp, interim vice provost for enrollment management. “Two years ago, we instituted new scholarships to attract and reward high-achieving students. Now, we’re seeing the results of that work. We also have many individuals working tirelessly to create an atmosphere that is conducive to learning and providing our students with great college experiences. Seeing our retention rate increase this year is evidence of that hard work.”
Two years ago, MU created a new $6,500 scholarship and increased two existing scholarships targeting students with high ACT scores. This year, the incoming freshman class broke records with an ACT mean score of 26, and the number of freshmen with ACT scores of 30 and higher, which increased 1.4 percent from last year to 1,086 this year. Additionally, 602 Bright Flight recipients, 236 Curator Scholars and 459 Chancellor’s Scholars are members of MU’s 2015 freshman class.
Reviewed 2015-08-27