Missouri Western State University has already seen a record number of applications this academic year.

According to Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management and Retention Dr. Paul Orscheln, the university has surpassed 4,300 applications, breaking a record of 4,056 from 2007-2008.

“Obviously, our ultimate success will be measured in the fall by how many students we enroll, but before you can enroll you need to apply and be admitted – one hundred percent of prospective students who don’t apply, don’t enroll,” Dr. Orscheln said. “We are putting Missouri Western in position to meet its freshman enrollment goals.”

To assist with communicating to prospective students, Missouri Western last year contracted with Royall and Company to provide an expanded pool of prospective students who would be a good fit for the university. Missouri Western is communicating with more high school seniors for fall 2017 enrollment and with sophomores and juniors for enrollment in subsequent years. Royall and Company also helped streamline the application process.

“We’ve seen healthy increases both locally and in the Kansas City area, which speaks to our affordability and the quality of our academic programs,” Dr. Orscheln said. “These increases aren’t just in the raw number of applicants, but also in the quality of applicants; we are seeing students with higher ACT scores applying to Missouri Western.”

The earlier opportunity for students to apply for financial aid has also been beneficial. The U.S. Department of Education this year made the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) available in October, rather than in January as in years past.