As Penn State enrollment inched up this year by a few hundred students to 81,704 university-wide, officials hailed the numbers as a sign of continuing efforts to keep growth modest and controlled, especially at the University Park campus.

But it was still Penn State's central campus that saw the largest jump of any location, with 257 more names on the rolls this semester, according to official figures released last week. Growth at the Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport accounted for the remainder of the increase.

In 1996, Penn State began trying to stabilize enrollment at University Park by allowing some students to finish their four-year degrees at other campuses in the statewide system.

"We think that's working quite well," Penn State spokesman Tysen Kendig said.

University Park remains one of the top 10 most populated campuses in the nation, according to data from The Chronicle of Higher Education, and Penn State President Graham Spanier wants to make sure it doesn't get too much bigger.

John Romano, vice provost and dean for enrollment management, said administrators hope to keep the total number of undergraduate and graduate students at University Park between 40,000 and 42,000.

"I'm pleased to say that we've been able to stay within our target range," Spanier said in a release.

It used to be that about two-thirds of freshmen entering Penn State could expect to find themselves starting at a campus other than University Park and migrating to State College after two years.

While that path remains the most popular, some students have been choosing to complete their baccalaureate degree programs at one of the 23 other locations. This alternate college plan, officials say, prevents the University Park population from growing beyond bounds.

With slightly fewer students transferring for junior and senior year, admissions officers have been able to allow more freshmen to start at the central campus, said Steve Mostert, spokesman for undergraduate admissions.

Officials this month are in the process of setting the admissions criteria and deciding how many applicants to accept for next year, Mostert said.

"We've been feeling comfortable that we've been setting pretty accurate targets," he said of recent admissions yields.

Minority students now make up 10.9 percent of the university population, after enrollment rose by 293 students. Statistics from The Chronicle's 2001 almanac issue show that minority students represent 14 percent of the enrollments overall at public four-year institutions in Pennsylvania.