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Preliminary enrollment figures at the University of Arkansas show that there are currently 23,153 students enrolled for the fall 2011 semester, an increase of more than 1,700 over the previous year. Incoming freshmen total more than 4,400 new students on the Fayetteville campus. Undergraduate enrollment is 19,033 students, another record number.

“This is not only great news, it is important news,” Chancellor G. David Gearhart said in a statement. “The economic development and advancement of Arkansas demands an educated workforce. As the state’s flagship university, the University of Arkansas is a partner, resource and catalyst in our state’s educational, cultural, social and economic development.”

Suzanne McCray, vice provost of enrollment services, attributed the increase to intensive and successful recruiting efforts, the Arkansas Lottery Scholarship and the growing academic reputation of the University of Arkansas.

Gearhart also noted, “This freshmen class is one of our most academically accomplished and diverse classes ever. They have average ACT scores of 26 and a grade point average of 3.6. We are also welcoming 41 National Merit Scholars in this class, up from 31 last year.”

Gearhart said enrollment over the past two years increased more rapidly than expected, but added, “What’s most important is that the university be the right size to serve our students and our state.”

He said the university has hired more than 60 new faculty members over the past two years to keep class sizes as small as possible. In addition, the university’s long-range construction and renovation plan will add new classroom, auditorium and recreational space across the campus.

The enrollment figures are still preliminary. The official numbers will not be available until after the “11th day snapshot” required by the Arkansas Department of Higher Education. That information will be collected on Sept. 6. The enrollment data is then analyzed and reviewed for accuracy before a preliminary report is submitted to the department on Sept. 21, with the final numbers from that original 11th day snapshot filed on Oct. 19.