A University spokesman confirmed to the ShowMe Times that fall admission referrals will include prospective students living outside a 50-Mile radius of Cape Girardeau, including Dexter.

By Annabeth Miiler,
ShowMe Times Editor

CAPE GIRARDEAU - Southeast Missouri State University announced Thursday that it plans to begin deferring admission as the university faces housing restraints and another year of projected record enrollment.

Beginning July 11 applications for the Fall 2011 semester at Southeast will be deferred until Spring 2012 for applicants living outside a 50-mile radius of Cape Girardeau.

A spokesman for Southeast confirmed to the ShowMe Times on Thursday afternoon that Dexter students will be considered outside the 50-mile radius.

The action was taken in light of a large anticipated beginning freshman class, said Dr. Debbie Below, assistant vice president for enrollment management/director of admissions. The fall 2011 semester at Southeast begins Aug. 22.

"We are expecting a large freshmen class of approximately 1,900 students this fall," she said, and Southeast's residence hall system is at its capacity. “This is the second consecutive year the University anticipates enrolling 1,900 freshmen and nearly 700 new transfer students.”

Below says the admissions deferral applies to students who have already applied as well as future applicants, including traditional, new first-time applicants outside the 50-mile radius and new transfer applicants outside the 50-miles radius who do not meet the residency requirement.

The deadline for these students to complete the admission process and submit their $150 housing deposit and contract is July 8.

To date, the University already has 2,981 housing contracts in place for this fall, said Dr. Bruce Skinner, director of Residence Life at Southeast. He says Southeast currently has 120 more housing contracts than it had at this time last year.

Southeast had 2,937 students living in its residence halls on move-in day in August 2010.

“We are full everywhere,” Skinner said. “There are no floors we are holding. We have identified every traditional residence hall room and have looked at assigning students into them.”

Below said Southeast will continue to accept admissions applications for the fall 2011 semester for students within commuting distance of Southeast who are not requesting on-campus housing.

"Students who are not required to live on campus can continue to apply," she said. "We can just no longer supply them with campus housing."

Beginning freshmen or new transfer students with fewer than 57 completed credit hours, who are under 21, unmarried, not supporting dependent children, not a veteran and not living with a parent are required to live on campus at Southeast.