About half of the participants are first-time students, the other half are continuing participants in the program, a trend seen in previous years as the program continues to grow. 1997 Approximately 50 percent of participants in 1997 were first time students. This shows that the efforts of the state coordinating offices and high school counselors continue to be an important source of MSEP's rapid rise in participation. MSEP participation grows primarily through the extension of tuition benefits to new students. MHEC estimates that 57 percent were new to their college or university in Fall 1995.
Participation is concentrated around a cluster of schools.
Minnesota has fifty-four campuses participating, the largest of the five states. Minnesota's participation numbers are much smaller than expected, with 407 enrollees. Private institutions participate at a much smaller rate than public institutions. This year Missouri was the only state with enrollment in private institutions. The majority of the 366 students enjoying MSEP benefits this semester are concentrated at a very few universitites.