Some students gripe about having to get up and drive from Cordova to start the semester, but a wide range of Tigers hail from much greater distances. Â
Various scholarship programs are also offered to out-of-state students who attend the University of Memphis.   Â
The U of M had 19,792 total students enrolled for the Spring 2017 semester, and over 17,000 were from Tennessee, and 13,121 of those were from Shelby County, according to the Office of Institutional Research. With these numbers, the U of M has recently pushed to get people from out of state to attend.
“We have always had a vision of gaining more students from out of state,†Steven Mizell, interim director for recruitment at the U of M, said. “I think recently we are seeing a larger number of students from other states attending the U of M so everyone is making more of an effort now to get even more.â€
There were only five different states in the U.S. that have no one attending the U of M last spring; Wyoming, North Dakota, Hawaii, Delaware and Rhode Island. There are a wide variety of ways the U of M is trying to include more of these out of state students, such as engaging with young alumni and attending different college fairs, Mizell said.
While about 87 percent of U of M students were from Tennessee in Spring 2017, the university is pushing to attract students from all over the country. This map shows the total number of students enrolled at the U of M last spring from each state, using data from the Office of Institutional Research.
California, Texas and Florida each have more than 50 people attending the U of M. The out-of-state tuition and fees for states like these are $29,962 – however, the U of M offers opportunities that could help students from different states pay for these on campus programs and scholarships.
“Recruitment offices usually go out to cities near us, but we are really trying to branch out further to out-of-state students,†Jordan Holley, desk assistant in the admissions office, said. “We offer different programs that students from out of state would possibly see as beneficial, like athletic scholarships and the ROTC program that has every branch in the military.â€
While athletic scholarships are what bring some people to the U of M, the campus itself helps others stay. U of M alumnus Alex Klatt received both a Track and Field and an Emerging Leader scholarship.
“The track and field program is what brought me here from Montana,†Klatt said. “But when I came and toured the campus, I loved the atmosphere.â€
Some students choose to come to the U of M because of their love for the campus, even if they do not receive scholarships, like Jasmine Harrington, sophomore finance major from Champaign, Illinois.
“I really love this campus – it’s not too big or too small, and it really feels like home,†Harrington said. “I pay for my tuition without any scholarships, but it is honestly so worth it to me.â€
All of this created an atmosphere Harrington could see herself living in for the next three years.
“The vibes you get not only on campus but in Memphis are just so much better than my hometown in Illinois,†Harrington said. “I love this place, and I can honestly see myself happily spending these next three years of college here and maybe even a few more after that.â€
