Mississippi Valley State University (MVSU) has seen an increase in its fall 2023 enrollment compared to the other Mississippi Public HBCUs, Alcorn State University and Jackson State University, compared to Fall 2022 figures.
Fall enrollment for 2023 for Alcorn State University is 2,894 ( compared to 2,933 in Fall 2022), and Jackson State University is 6,564 (compared to 6,906 in Fall 2022), while Mississippi Valley State University sees a 317 increase with 2,196 (compared to 1,879 in Fall 2022), representing a 16.9% increase.
Mississippi Valley State University eighth president, Dr. Jerryl Briggs, Sr., passionately initiated the “Bounce Back” campaign, a direct and intentional effort to regain university momentum with enrollment growth.
“Given last year’s enrollment decline, we immediately implemented our “Bounce Back” enrollment initiatives to not only recruit more new students but also focus on our retention and persistence goals equally,” said Dr. Briggs.
“As we saw from our IHL (Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning) system’s enrollment report, seven out of the eight IHL institutions experienced an enrollment decline in Fall 2022 semester, so the challenge was state-wide, but for MVSU, it was personal,” he continued.
In addition to the overall enrollment increase, the university is excited to see a rise in the admission of new first-time students to MVSU. The university experienced a 41% increase this year, with 603 new first-time students compared to 428 new first-time students in the Fall of 2022.
“To have such a significant enrollment increase, compared to last year’s numbers, shows the hard work and dedication of our university community. We will continue to share “The Valley Story” with potential new students and the value-added perspective on attaining a college degree from MVSU,” said Dr. Briggs.
“Our students recognize that a university education continues to be a good investment for their future,” said Dr. Alfred Rankins Jr., Commission of Mississippi IHL. “In these challenging economic times, it is encouraging to see more students pursuing an education that will play dividends throughout their careers and build a strong workforce to fuel our economy.”
Figures are unduplicated and count students one time regardless of on-campus and off-campus enrollment. Figures are based on enrollment as of November 1, 2023, for the fall term.
Total Student Enrollment, Fall 2022 and Fall 2023
| Institution | Fall 2022 | Fall 2023 | Number Change |
Percent Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alcorn State University | 2,933 | 2,894 | -39 | -1.3% |
| Delta State University | 2,556 | 2,716 | 160 | 6.3% |
| Jackson State University | 6,906 | 6,564 | -342 | -5.0% |
| Mississippi State University | 22,649 | 22,657 | 8 | 0.0% |
| Mississippi University for Women | 2,339 | 2,227 | -112 | -4.8% |
| Mississippi Valley State University | 1,879 | 2,196 | 317 | 16.9% |
| University of Mississippi | 22,951 | 24,710 | 1,759 | 7.7% |
| University of Mississippi | 19,869 | 21,596 | 1,727 | 8.7% |
| University of Mississippi Medical Center | 3,082 | 3,114 | 32 | 1.0% |
| University of Southern Mississippi | 13,526 | 13,110 | -416 | -3.1% |
| System Total | 75,739 | 77,074 | 1,335 | 1.8% |
“Great things are happening at The Valley, and it is encouraging to see our new and continuing students investing in our and their future. Please know that this is not a one-year anomaly, as we will continue to build this great institution to ensure our long-term sustainability. Indeed, Mississippi Valley State University is in Motion,” Dr. Briggs added.
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