The student population at Missouri State University-West Plains is 1,919 (all undergraduate). The number of students has decreased by 42 (2.14%) over the past decade.
The average student population over the last 11 years is 1,894 where 1,919 students are attending the school for the academic year 2024-2025.
Total enrollment fluctuated between 2016 and 2025, with 3 year-over-year increases and 6 decreases. It peaked at 1,961 students in 2016 and was lowest at 1,726 in 2024. Overall, enrollment dropped from 1,961 to 1,919 students, a net loss of 42 (2.1%).
The following table and chart illustrate the changes in student population by gender at Missouri State University-West Plains since 2015.
| Year | Total | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 1,961 | 721 | 1,240 |
| 2016-17 | 1,941 -20 | 727 6 | 1,214 -26 |
| 2017-18 | 1,918 -23 | 692 -35 | 1,226 12 |
| 2018-19 | 1,869 -49 | 666 -26 | 1,203 -23 |
| 2019-20 | 1,951 82 | 649 -17 | 1,302 99 |
| 2020-21 | 1,920 -31 | 639 -10 | 1,281 -21 |
| 2021-22 | 1,960 40 | 632 -7 | 1,328 47 |
| 2022-23 | 1,770 -190 | 569 -63 | 1,201 -127 |
| 2023-24 | 1,726 -44 | 581 12 | 1,145 -56 |
| 2024-25 | 1,919 193 | 626 45 | 1,293 148 |
| Average | 1,894 | 650 | 1,243 |
The percentage of white students is 85.20%. The percentage was 83.32% 10 years ago and Missouri State University-West Plains still has a high percentage of white students. 2.87% of enrolled students is Asian and 1.93% is black students. Hispanic students comprise 2.87% of the student body.
Over the past 10 years, the racial composition has shifted. The percentage of white students increased from 83.32% to 85.20%. Asian enrollment grew from 0.76% to 2.87%. Black student enrollment decreased from 3.26% to 1.93%. Hispanic student representation expanded from 1.68% to 2.87%.
The overall racial diversity, measured by the Census Bureau Diversity Index, is 0.2712 which indicates that not very diverse. This decreased from 0.3037 a decade ago, suggesting that racial diversity has declined.
The following table and chart illustrate the student population trends by race/ethnicity at Missouri State University-West Plains over the past 11 years (2015-2025).
| Year | American Indian or Native American | Asian | Black | Hispanic | Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | White | Two or More Races |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 37 | 15 | 64 | 33 | 3 | 1,634 | 27 |
| 2016-17 | 19 | 10 | 67 | 42 | 3 | 1,670 | 60 |
| 2017-18 | 21 | 10 | 70 | 41 | 2 | 1,663 | 54 |
| 2018-19 | 14 | 7 | 62 | 40 | 1 | 1,639 | 49 |
| 2019-20 | 15 | 14 | 53 | 51 | 1 | 1,681 | 50 |
| 2020-21 | 14 | 17 | 38 | 60 | 2 | 1,674 | 45 |
| 2021-22 | 21 | 16 | 32 | 51 | 1 | 1,720 | 49 |
| 2022-23 | 13 | 14 | 29 | 52 | 0 | 1,542 | 48 |
| 2023-24 | 11 | 21 | 32 | 51 | 0 | 1,503 | 42 |
| 2024-25 | 7 | 55 | 37 | 55 | 2 | 1,635 | 57 |
| Average | 17 | 18 | 48 | 48 | 2 | 1,636 | 48 |
662 students are enrolled in online degree programs exclusively for the academic year 2024-2025, which is 35% of total students. The number of online students has increased 158.59% since 2015. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in the online student population by enrolled type at Missouri State University-West Plains from 2015 to 2025.
| Year | Total Enrollment | Online Completely | Enrolled in Some Online Courses | Not Enrolled in Online Courses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 1,961 | 256 | 561 | 1,144 |
| 2016-17 | 1,941 | 257 | 620 | 1,064 |
| 2017-18 | 1,918 | 276 | 697 | 945 |
| 2018-19 | 1,869 | 352 | 614 | 903 |
| 2019-20 | 1,951 | 518 | 592 | 841 |
| 2020-21 | 1,920 | 593 | 544 | 783 |
| 2021-22 | 1,960 | 590 | 633 | 737 |
| 2022-23 | 1,770 | 569 | 572 | 629 |
| 2023-24 | 1,726 | 593 | 547 | 586 |
| 2024-25 | 1,919 | 662 | 596 | 661 |
| Average | 1,894 | 467 | 598 | 829 |
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