A record number of students are enrolled at Washington State University this year, but there is no change in enrollment at WSU Tri-Cities.

The Richland branch campus had 1,520 students enrolled this fall -- down from the 1,548 in 2010 -- but officials said the number of full-time-equivalent students stayed the same.

So, while the actual number of students sitting in seats at WSU Tri-Cities is down slightly, those students are taking more classes than they have in the past, explained Dick Pratt, vice chancellor for academic affairs.

"It reflects students are being more cautious about how they spend their money," Pratt said. "Given the challenges of the price -- tuition has gone up quite a bit -- we're pretty happy that we've been able to attract and serve as many students as we have."

Tuition went up 16 percent this year, but it costs the same for students taking 10 to 18 credits. So students who may have taken just 10 credits last year, may have decided to take more classes this year to get their money's worth.

Pratt also said students who may have transferred in the fall from a community college, could be taking more course work before transferring to get more value out of their community college time.

Overall, WSU officials reported 27,008 students were enrolled at the university's four campuses. That's a 4 percent increase from last year's, 25,989 students.

This year's freshman class, 4,473 system-wide, also is the largest group of new freshmen in WSU's history and represents a 27 percent increase from last fall's 3,283 new freshmen.

This is the fifth year that WSU Tri-Cities has accepted freshmen, and this year 97 new freshmen enrolled at the branch campus, along with 216 new transfer students.

What's notable to Pratt, however, is the "modest growth" in the diversity of the student body. The numbers show about 31 percent of students are minority, Pratt said. Of the new freshman class, 36 percent are minority and almost 28 percent of the new transfers.

"Overall, we're seeing a more diverse population of students. I think that's a really good sign for us, given the economic pressure of paying for college," he said. "We're still the most diverse campus in the college system. And it's reflective of how strongly we feel about recruiting students locally."

WSU Tri-Cities is trying to became a Hispanic Serving Institution and needs to have 25 percent of its undergraduate student population represented by Hispanic students. Right now, Pratt figures they're about 20 percent.

About 80 percent of students taking classes in Richland are from Benton and Franklin counties, but the college also draws from Yakima and the Lower Valley, Moses Lake, Walla Walla and Northern Oregon.

Pratt said about half of the undergraduate students are the first in their family to go to college and about 40 percent are considered low-income.

"We have this mix of first-generation students, and we have a fair number of low income students. I think the rapid-rise of tuition is a real challenge for those families," he said. "Families who don't have a lot of experience with higher education look at high prices and are concerned. And obviously, families who are trying to get through the current economic situation are concerned."

But, Pratt said, the most important thing to keep in mind is the student population is stable and college officials have worked hard to add faculty to keep pace with what students need while operating with a lean budget.

"We've chosen to be as lean and efficient as we can so we can serve students who come to us," Pratt said.

-- Paula Horton: 582-1556; phorton@tricityherald.com