The University of Mississippi, including the University Medical Center, has a fall 2019 enrollment of 22,273. It’s still (barely) the largest university in the state, but it is down 817 students from last year, or about a 3.5 percent drop. Enrollment was down 2.2 percent last year.
Overall, enrollment at the eight state universities is down 1.6 percent, with 77,896 students, compared to 79,193 students last year. Two years ago, enrollment stood at 81,378.
Mississippi State University, the second largest university in the state, had a gain of 252 students. State now has 22,226 students. They had the greatest gain in terms of the number of students, but Mississippi University for Women enjoyed the highest percentage increase at 3.8.
While no school had a bigger drop in terms of actual numbers than Ole Miss, Mississippi Valley State University had the largest drop percentage wise. They are down 6 percent. Alcorn State University also had a significant drop, 3.7 percent.
| University | Fall 2018 enrollment | Fall 2019 enrollment | Number change | Percent change |
| Alcorn State | 3,658 | 3,523 | -135 | -3.7% |
| Delta State | 3,716 | 3,761 | 45 | 1.2% |
| Jackson State | 7,250 | 7,020 | -230 | -3.2% |
| Miss. State | 21,974 | 22,226 | 252 | 1.1% |
| MUW | 2,711 | 2,813 | 102 | 3.8% |
| MVSU | 2,285 | 2,147 | -138 | -6% |
| Ole Miss | 23,090 | 22,273 | -817 | -3.5% |
| Southern Miss | 14,509 | 14,133 | -376 | -2.6% |
Southern Miss, which is down 376 students over the past year, remains the third largest university in the state. Valley remains the smallest at 2,147 students.