University classrooms are slightly more full this spring than they were last year.There are 121 more students enrolled in the University in spring 2010 than in spring 2009, according to data released Thursday by the Office of Budget and Planning, putting the University’s total at 26,261 students.Undergraduate enrollment fell by 48 students, but graduate enrollment is up by 4 percent with 174 more graduate students enrolled than last spring. The number of professional students also fell by five.The overall decrease in undergraduates was because of the 98-student decrease in part-time enrollment. Full-time undergraduate enrollment increased by 50 students.There was a small decrease in total undergraduate enrollment, but the statistics for this spring bode well for retention rates because fewer new freshmen came to the University in 2009 than in 2008, said Staycia Haynie, vice provost for Academic Affairs.”The fact that our spring numbers don’t differ much in 2010 even though we had a small entering class is good news,” Haynie said.In fall 2009, 4,513 new freshmen enrolled at the University, down 6 percent from the 4,817 who enrolled in fall 2008.Haynie said the fact that more students are here this spring than last year despite the smaller entering class speaks to the effectiveness of initiatives by the University to increase the new student experience.Mary Parker, executive director for the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and Student Aid, said improvements in student services are what keep retention rates up.”We did have a significant downsize in our freshman class from 2008 to 2009; however, one of the things the University has done a tremendous job on is increasing the services provided to students,” Parker said.Programs like the First Year Experience and Comprehensive Academic Tracking System work to make students’ adjustment to the University easier, Haynie said.—-Contact Ryan Buxton at [email protected]