Minot State University reported its official, fourth-week enrollment as 2,836 students for the fall 2021 semester.

That was down slightly from last year at the same time. According to MSU President Steven Shirley, overall headcount is down 2.9 % and full-time equivalency is down 1.4 %

“These percentages are in-line with what has been predicted for four-year, public universities as we head into our second COVID-19 impacted academic year,” said Shirley. “We are pleased with our overall increase in students taking online classes as we have been able to make significant upgrades to our technology on campus and enhance our ability to deliver education in a variety of flexible formats.”

MSU reported steady growth in online students for the fourth straight year, reaching a record 1,545 students taking at least one online class, a 3.2% increase over Fall 2020. MSU remained steady in full-time students with modest growth in full-time undergraduate and full-time graduate enrollments.

Despite multiple barriers such as closed borders and reduced transportation options, MSU saw small increases in its international student population, with a total of 363 international students including 186 from Canada.