MoWest gives insights into new student enrollment numbers

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) -- Missouri Western State University shared insights into what they believe helped increase new student enrollment for the 2026-27 academic year.

MoWest said on the first day of fall classes, Aug. 31, that the university saw 755 new undergraduate students. They report this is a nearly 10 percent climb from last academic year.

"Given the decline that we had seen, you know, over the past really, ten years in terms of total enrollment," said Andy Otto, MoWest vice president of Enrollment Management and Marketing. "This is really exciting for us as we look to next year."

The 755 number includes first-year students and also transfer students from another college or university.

These first-year students come from 28 different states across the United States of America. However, recent recruitment efforts through direct admissions programs with area high schools, including St. Joseph School District, Bishop LeBlond High School and more, have reportedly helped these numbers, Otto said.

"We saw movement within the direct admissions programs that we had started with SJSD, Bishop LeBlond and Platte County," Otto shared. "That was really encouraging to see, the partnerships that we made with different organizations throughout the region as well."

Along with bringing in traditional college students through these efforts, he also shared that employees at these high schools have taken advantage of the opportunity to further their education with MoWest, especially through accelerated graduate programs MoWest introduced near the beginning of the 2026 calendar year.

However, efforts to increase enrollment through direct admissions with area high schools aren't the step they're taking to attract traditional college students. Otto said his team is doing what it can to reach high schools and make MoWest's presence known.

"Over the past year, just hearing what we had heard from counselors in the region was that they just had not seen us in years past. So we made a concerted effort to get out and make sure counselors knew about MoWest, and that students knew about MoWest," Otto shared. "That starts with our high school visits with college fairs and just really having a presence in the region at those high schools. And with students. And so, that was one thing that really resonated with me, was that we had heard in the past, you know, a student or a counselor had said they hadn't seen us in four years."

The release from MoWest stated that 33% of first-year students come from Buchanan County and 19% from the Kansas City metro area. The number of first-year students from metro Kansas City is also up 31% from last year.  

Along with more undergraduate students on campus, the incoming class includes 545 first-year students, an increase of 13.7%. This is said to help drive a 6.7% increase in students living on campus overall.

On campus, student life is also seeing a reported resurgence; according to the report, first-year students living on campus increased by 28.3%.

Breaking down the numbers further, the university said 210 of these are transfer students, a 1% increase from the previous school year.

According to the report, major program drivers bringing students to MoWest for study include nursing, business, education, exercise science and psychology.

Those demographics, along with which direct admissions programs are working, where students are coming from, and more, are what Otto said the admissions department intends to look into to increase growth year after year. He also said that the university is confident these numbers will remain high once reevaluated four weeks into the semester, once students begin to settle.

Otto also shared that he's excited to work with new MoWest president Lenny Klaver. Klaver, formerly the president of North Central Missouri College, is credited with helping NCMC expand academic and athletic programs, as well as community engagement.

"The great thing is that he's from the region, and so he understands kind of the needs that are there and how we can position ourselves as well," Otto said about Claver. "I think you know we have a lot of, of positive energy right now across the institution given the news that we have the hiring of Doctor Klaver, his background in northwest, north central Missouri, you know, over the past ten years and the, the, the history and, the successes that he's had, it's really, encouraging and exciting for me in that, in that space."

To see the latest news releases from MoWest, click here.