Cottey College sees 10.5 percent enrollment growth

Nevada, MO— Cottey College announced today that student enrollment for the fall 2020 semester has increased by 10.5%, compared to last fall’s enrollment numbers.

“These increased enrollment numbers demonstrate that more students are seeing the benefit of attending a smaller college and choosing Cottey,” said Jann Weitzel, Ph.D., President of Cottey College. “Cottey College is proud of the personal education we offer our students. Our College provides students with many opportunities that students attending larger universities might not receive, including an international travel experience, small class sizes that encourage individualized learning, and leadership development so that these students are prepared both academically and professionally when they graduate.”

The increase comes from growth in first-year students, an increased effort in retaining students, and more student-athletes. First year class enrollment grew by more than 25%. Retention of first time students enrolled at Cottey in 2019 saw an increase of 6.25%, for a 75% retention rate. The percentage of student-athletes on campus also increased by 5.9%; they make up 29.7% of the total student body.

“These enrollment numbers reflect a campus-wide effort to grow the number of students we serve at Cottey,” said Weitzel. “Our entire staff and faculty have worked tirelessly to help students become a part of this institution. Cottey has a lot of positive momentum right now, with new offerings for our students including a new Stock Trading lab and esports arena and a newly-renovated Library. The growth in enrollment is just another indicator of the many great things happening here.”

“Seeing an increase like this takes everyone believing in a common goal,” said Dave Heringer, Vice President of Enrollment Management and Marketing. “I am so proud of the work the College, and specifically our enrollment team, has put in to achieve this goal. We plan to continue our aggressive pursuit of new students who would be a great fit at Cottey. We know that Cottey offers an outstanding educational experience at an affordable cost, and we are continuing to broadcast that message everywhere we can.”

Cottey’s enrollment figures come from the College’s tenth-day enrollment report to the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). Tenth-day enrollment reports are the nationally-accepted standard for tracking university and college enrollments every semester.