Iowa State University announced today that its fall enrollment reached nearly 30,000 students, a 4.2 percent increase from the previous record set last fall and the fifth consecutive year of enrollment growth.

The fall enrollment of 29,887 includes all-time high numbers of both new students and transfer students. The university also enrolled its largest freshman class in its history — 5,048 students — and 61.5 percent of them (3,105) are Iowans. Additionally, ISU this fall has enrolled a record number of new transfer students (1,781); 1,050 of them are from Iowa’s community colleges, also a record.

“We’re very proud of the fact that, year after year, more Iowa high school graduating seniors choose Iowa State over any other four-year college or university,” said Marc Harding, assistant vice president for enrollment and director of admissions. “When you consider the declining number of high school students in our region and the many post-secondary options available to them, being able to welcome students in record numbers really affirms their belief in the quality of an Iowa State education and the experiences they can have here.”

The student body is also the most diverse in ISU’s history. More than one in five ISU students is either a minority or an international student. Total U.S. minority and international enrollment is 6,369, or 21.31 percent of the student body.