University of Montana Sees Eighth Consecutive Semester of Enrollment Growth

Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - Spring enrollment at the University of Montana has risen 4.3 percent according to the latest spring census of students.

I spoke with UM’s Director of Strategic Communications Dave Kuntz about the newest enrollment numbers.

UM's Spring Enrollment Numbers Rise Over Four Percent

“Our enrollment census deadlines, which happen the 15th day of each semester, provide us a really good snapshot in time of the enrollment trajectories here at the University of Montana,” began Kuntz. “We just wrapped up that 15th day this semester last week, and we're excited to report that UM spring enrollment is up 4.3 percent compared to the same time last year, which is a big deal for us as we continue to welcome more and more students. This also marks the eighth consecutive semester that we've seen your year-over-year enrollment growth.”

Kuntz provided more specifics on the new enrollment count.

The Number of Students Ranges Between 10,800 and 11,000

“So we're just under 11,000, about 10,800 or more students here at the university this spring, which, again, is about 400 or so higher than we had at this point last year,” he said. “However, it's not just that overall headcount here of our undergraduate students, we've seen enrollment at the graduate level increase. We've seen enrollment at Missoula College, our two-year institution, increase, as well.”

Kuntz said the number of students on campus include local high schools students who are already taking classes at UM.

“Really what we've seen is a big jump in recent years to the point where we are at over 1,100 high school students who are currently taking college courses here at the university this semester, which is a big deal because it gets those students on a head start for college,” he said. “It brings down the cost to college as we provide education to those high school students free of charge, and then it also gives us a good pool to recruit from, as we try to get those students to commit to UM as full-time freshmen starting next fall.”

UM President Seth Bodnar Emphasized Savings for Incoming Students

Kuntz echoed the sentiments of UM President Seth Bodnar, who emphasized the cost savings for new students coming to Missoula.

“What we've done here at Montana, and this is across the entire University System, is really keep the cost of attendance as low as possible,” he said. “It costs about $8,000; usually a little less than that, depending on components like your high school, GPA, and other aid you might qualify before to attend UM each year. That's significantly less than all of the states around us as in-state resident students, and additionally, our out-of-state tuition for students coming into Montana from elsewhere remains really competitive, to the point that in some instances it's lower than the in-state tuition of other states.”

Kuntz said UM has experienced its largest year-over-year growth rate in 15 years.