Lincoln University has 26 percent more freshmen enrolled this fall than a year ago.
Preliminary numbers show 536 freshmen students enrolled for fall 2014 classes, as compared with 424 students a year ago.
Last month, President Kevin Rome told the faculty and staff members that overall undergraduate enrollment is down almost 4.2 percent from the fall of 2007 through last year - and almost 27.2 percent at the graduate level.
The university says improved recruitment efforts led to the positive enrollment numbers.
"The faculty, staff, students and alumni have been instrumental in this increase," Rome said in a news release announcing the improvement. "In the past year, we have purchased new recruitment software that has helped us to identify those students who are willing to commit to earning a Lincoln University education.
"This software, in combination with other efforts including the development of Blue Tiger Day Open Houses and traditional recruiting trips, has put us where we are today with an increased freshman enrollment."
Rome said he expects the school "will continue to build on and multiply this progress in the future."
After a student enrolls as a freshman, Rome told the Faculty-Staff Fall Institute last month, and said again in this week's news release, the entire university has an interest in seeing that student graduate.
"Recruitment is just one facet of the enrollment process," he explained. "Every person who works at Lincoln University must also take an interest in the retention of students from the beginning of their academic career through commencement."
The school's annual student census is taken during the last week of September, so the freshman enrollment numbers in Tuesday's news release still could be changed.
Office of Institutional Research and Assessment will release the full fall 2014 enrollment figures in October.
Last year's official fall enrollment was 3,043 students.
Early reports for this fall show an increase of about 1,450 credit hours, indicating that students registered for more classes this fall.
More students taking more classes is another goal Rome told the faculty and staff next month that he wants to accomplish.