Those attending Wednesday's Northwest Missouri State academic affairs opening meeting (August 19) heard enrollment projections for the fall semester.
Click the LISTEN button to hear comments from associate vice provost Allison Hoffmann and president Lance Tatum during employee meetings on August 19, 2026.
Associate vice provost Allison Hoffmann said the current projection is 8,000 students.
According to the university's website, that would be down from 8,747 in 2025, 9,152 in 2024, and a record high of 9,664 in 2023.
Dr. Hoffman said during the academic affairs opening meeting that the number of dual credit students is projected to be at a record high and that there will be more online professional students.
But those categories are offset by the projection of fewer on campus freshman, transfer, and graduate students.
President Lance Tatum said during his state of the university address that declining enrollment is not unique to Northwest, "but what distinguishes Northwest is not the challenge itself, but how we are going to respond to it. Our strategy is straightforward. Broaden our enrollment portfolio while ensuring that students who choose Northwest have every opportunity to succeed and graduate."
Dr. Tatum also said for the first time in his 30 years in higher education, people are challenging the value of higher education. The president said when families ask is higher education worth it and can they afford it, "Our responsibility is not to become defensive. It is to answer them with clarity. Demonstrating the value of Northwest through our student success, career outcomes, affordability, and to show that the lives of our graduates build success after they leave this campus."
