Minot State University reports relatively flat overall enrollment numbers.
But there are a couple of bright spots.
Minot State’s total headcount for the fall semester is 3189 students. Fulltime student numbers were up .6 percent, while the overall number was down .8 percent.
But MSU president Steve Shirley said he’s very happy to see the numbers related to the freshman class.
"Just under 400 freshmen -- 397," Shirley said. "That's our biggest class in seven years."
Shirley said the University had seen a significant drop in enrollment since the 2011 flood – and the number of incoming freshmen dropped for a few years.
"Now, we've been on a nice consecutive growth trend over the past few years," Shirley said. "That's certainly very positive."
Shirley said the freshman number includes the most North Dakota first-year students MSU has seen for a while.
"We put together a new 'renewable scholarship' for incoming freshmen this year," Shirley said. "It's renewable for all four years they're here. From an affordability standpoint, that's drawn a lot of interest."
And Shirley said the university has added some new programs.
Graduate student enrollment is up 5.4 percent over last fall – with 274 students enrolled.