This could be one of the most important summers in the history of Millsaps College.
The private liberal arts college in Midtown Jackson has struggled with enrollment in recent years, but with the May 1 deadline for students to pay in fees, college officials are confident that fall enrollment will increase.
Millsaps’ enrollment has dropped from a high of about 1,200 students in the 20th century to 850 in 2019. About 160 freshmen were enrolled in fall 2023, and Millsaps had 637 undergraduate students in 2022, according to U.S. News data.
In the wake of the much-publicized financial crisis at Birmingham-Southern College, which will close its doors at the end of this semester, enrollment at small, liberal arts schools has come under increased scrutiny.
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However, Millsaps has not yet released its May 1 figures.
“The May 1 deadline does not hold the same significance as it has in recent years, largely because of the difficulties with the FASFA process this year,” said Joey Lee, Millsaps’ director of communications and community engagement. “Almost all colleges have extended their response deadlines, including Millsaps. It is too early to get a good estimate of fall enrollment projections, as students have only just begun receiving their full financial aid packages.”
Meanwhile, just around the corner, Belhaven University released its numbers after the May 1 application deadline. Belhaven says it has received 290 traditional freshman applications for fall 2024. That number is 43 students above the five-year average of 247 students. The school is also slightly above its peak May application numbers of 289 and 285, respectively, according to Kevin Russell, Belhaven’s vice president of university enrollment and marketing.
Although there are no concrete numbers, Lee said Millsaps officials are optimistic.
“I’ve said all that, but I can also tell you that early results suggest we may have a stronger class this fall than in recent years, and we’re really excited about the quality of applicants we’ve received,” Lee said. “Currently, our student deposit is 10% higher than the same period last year. We expect that number to increase significantly as more students and families are able to go through the FAFSA process and receive confirmation of their financial aid.”
Millsaps is a standout among the state’s private liberal arts schools. The institution was founded in 1890 by Major Reuben Webster Millsaps after he returned home from the Civil War.
Since then, Millsaps has grown into one of the state’s most prestigious private liberal arts colleges, and is the state’s leading liberal arts college according to U.S. News and World Report’s 2024 rankings.
Part of Millsaps’ commitment is focused on securing financial support. In 2021, the last published data, Millsaps’ endowment was approximately $98.5 million at year-end.
Frank Neville was named the school’s 12th president by the Millsaps College Board of Trustees in January, but he has not made any public statements until he officially takes office in June.
Selected by a 17-member search committee comprised of trustees, faculty, staff, alumni and students, Neville joins a situation at Millsaps that is focused on reversing a decline in student enrollment.
Ross Reilly can be reached via email at [email protected] or 601-573-2952. You can follow him on Twitter at @GreenOkra1.
This article originally appeared in the Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Millsaps hopes to turn around declining enrollment numbers
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