Kansas University’s fall enrollment posted the largest increase in 16 years, officials announced Thursday.

¢State universities Fall 2002 enrollments

KU has 28,849 students enrolled this fall, compared to 28,190 in fall 2001. That’s an increase of 2.3 percent.

Chancellor Robert Hemenway said the 25.2 percent tuition increase apparently had no effect on enrollment.

“We were determined to keep a KU education affordable for families,” he said. “We funneled $2.2 million of the recent tuition increase into need-based aid. Keeping the doors of KU open to deserving students will continue to be our priority.”

Enrollment at KU is the largest since 1993, and the fifth-largest in school history.

KU also set a one-year retention rate for returning freshmen, with 81 percent of last year’s class returning to be sophomores.

Overall, enrollment at state universities is up 3.2 percent, with 86,293 students enrolled.

The biggest increase came at Fort Hays State University, which reported a 13.6 percent jump in enrollment. Other increases were Kansas State University, 1.6 percent; Wichita State University, 4.6 percent; Emporia State University, 3.1 percent; and Pittsburg State University, 0.4 percent.