The student population at Southeast Missouri State University is 9,501 (7,926 undergraduate and 1,575 graduate students) . The number of students has decreased by 2,486 (20.74%) over the past decade.
- Class Level: The percentage of undergraduate students at Southeast Missouri State is 83.42% which is decreased by 2,661 over last 10 years. The graduate student population increased by 175 and it has been increasing.
- Gender Breakdown: In 2025, there were 69 male students for every 100 female students, down from 76 in 2015.
- 1,841 students enrolled in online degree program exclusively and the number of online students has increased by 45.53% since 2015.
Student Population Changes
The average student population over the last 11 years is 10,613 where 9,501 students are attending the school for the academic year 2024-2025.
Total enrollment fluctuated between 2016 and 2025, with 1 year-over-year increase and 8 decreases. It peaked at 11,987 students in 2016 and was lowest at 9,501 in 2025. Overall, enrollment dropped from 11,987 to 9,501 students, a net loss of 2,486 (20.7%).
The following table and chart illustrate the changes in student population by gender at Southeast Missouri State University since 2015.
Undergraduate Enrollment Changes
The average number of Undergraduate students over the last 11 years is 9,334 where 7,926 students are attending the Undergraduate school for the academic year 2024-2025. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in Undergraduate enrollment by attending status and gender at Southeast Missouri State University since 2015.
Graduate Enrollment Changes
The average number of Graduate students over the last 11 years is 1,279 where 1,575 students are attending the Graduate school for the academic year 2024-2025. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in Graduate enrollment by attending status and gender at Southeast Missouri State University since 2015.
Enrollment by Race/Ethnicity Changes
The percentage of white students is 67.80%. The percentage was 70.43% 10 years ago and Southeast Missouri State still has a high percentage of white students. 0.93% of enrolled students is Asian and 6.70% 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 decreased from 70.43% to 67.80%. Asian enrollment declined from 0.99% to 0.93%. Black student enrollment decreased from 8.60% to 6.70%. Hispanic student representation expanded from 1.66% to 2.87%.
The overall racial diversity, measured by the Census Bureau Diversity Index, is 0.5340 which indicates that somewhat diverse. This increased from 0.4962 a decade ago, suggesting that racial diversity has improved.
The following table and chart illustrate the student population trends by race/ethnicity at Southeast Missouri State University over the past 11 years (2015-2025).
Distance Learning (Online Courses) Enrollment Changes
1,841 students are enrolled in online degree programs exclusively for the academic year 2024-2025, which is 19% of total students. The number of online students has increased 45.53% since 2015. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in the online student population by enrolled type at Southeast Missouri State University from 2015 to 2025.