With a projected undergraduate enrollment of nearly 72,000 students spread across four campuses, it seems almost impossible for the University of Massachusetts to expand. Yet this fall, enrollment at the University is predicted to reach a record high.

The 72,000 students attending UMass Amherst, Lowell, Dartmouth or Boston represent a two percent increase in enrollment since the last academic year, according to President Robert Caret in an article from the Associated Press.

This year’s incoming freshman class brought in 4,600 students alone. In addition to the enrollment rate, the application rate between the four campuses has likewise increased. According to Caret, a five percent increase in the number of applicants took place over the course of the past year.

This increase in student enrollment also correlates to the increase in academic performance among the school population, according to Daniel Fitzgibbons of the news and media relations office.

“When we get more applications, it reflects the greater demand of respected students,” he said.

In the incoming freshman class, SAT scores increased 11 points, and the average high school grade point average increased from 3.66 to 3.73 in the past year, according to Fitzgibbons. He added that these impressive increases represent a “historic high.”

Although it may seem that the substantial increase in population could be a source of potential danger in the future years, Fitzgibbons says this is not the case.

“We have to accept more places than we have room for,” he said “Because you always have to factor in that although there are many students accepted, but not all will go here.”

Katrina Borofski can be reached at [email protected].