The fall 2012 enrollment at Missouri University of Science and Technology, officially recorded at the end of the semester’s fourth week, is the highest since 1982. This year’s enrollment is 7,647 students, up 125 students from the official fall 2011 figure, says Laura Stoll, vice provost and dean of enrollment management.

S&T continues to attract record numbers of women, Hispanics and other minority students. This fall 1,732 female students are enrolled, an increase of 2.8 percent. The American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) rates S&T among the top 20 universities for awarding engineering degrees to women.

“This growth in the number of women and minorities who choose to attend Missouri S&T shows the value our students place in getting their degree from a university that offers a world-class return on investment,” says Missouri S&T Chancellor Cheryl B. Schrader. “Employers continue to tell us that they desire a diverse workforce, and S&T is striving to help them achieve their goals.”

Stoll says the majority of S&T students are enrolled in a STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) major. “This gives our graduates multiple career opportunities,” she says. “Our median starting salary for undergraduates is second among all public universities in the country at nearly $60,000. Record numbers of employers continue to recruit S&T graduates.

“Given our academic quality, we see excellent job offers in our business, arts and humanities, social science and teacher certification programs,” says Stoll.

Missouri S&T continues to be recognized as one of the best deals in the nation for a college education. This latest recognition comes from U.S. News & World Report, which ranks Missouri S&T seventh in the nation among public universities in its “Great Schools, Great Prices” listing published in the magazine’s 2012 “America’s Best Colleges” guidebook. That ranking followed similar recognition of S&T’s affordability from Newsweek magazine, which rated Missouri S&T as the best “return on investment” among all public universities in the nation.

Fall classes at Missouri S&T began on Aug. 20.