As a new school year begins at the University of Utah, the state’s flagship institution is on track to have another record-setting class of first-year students.

Based on first-week counts, the U. is welcoming over 5,400 first-year students in Fall 2022, the second time in the institution’s history the freshman class surpassed 5,000. At the same time, undergraduate enrollment grew to 26,600, an increase of approximately 500 students, or 2% growth over Fall 2021 enrollment.

“This increase would make three years of back-to-back growth, not only for first-year students, but overall enrollment,” said Steve Robinson, the university’s senior associate vice president for enrollment management. “The U. continues to be a destination for students from across Utah as well as from beyond our borders.”

Overall, there are more than 34,900 students enrolled at the university this year, a 0.7% increase over 2021. The 2022 enrollment growth follows two previous years of record first-year classes in 2020 and 2021.

Official enrollment numbers will be released in October after census counts are completed at all schools in the Utah System of Higher Education.