University-wide enrollment has reached a record-high of 83,721 students, topping the previous record of 83,177 students set in fall 2003, Penn State administrators announced yesterday.

The enrollment number accounts for Penn State's 20 commonwealth campuses, the College of Medicine, the Dickinson School of Law in Carlisle, the Pennsylvania College of Technology and University Park.

Of those campuses, four saw a reduction in enrollment from fall 2005 to this year. This year's university-wide enrollment jumped to nearly 3,600 more than last year's.

Patrick Smith, director of communications and customer services for the undergraduate admissions office, said getting prospective students and their families to understand that Penn State works as a system of campuses has played a part in the enrollment increase.

"It's not all about University Park," he said. "We're getting more questions and feedback from families who are saying, 'I understand how it works now as a system.' "

Smith also said Penn State's academic reputation and competitive price tag were reasons for the increased enrollment.

Some university departments have had hurdles to clear because of this year's enrollment surge.

At the beginning of the fall semester, officials in the Housing assignment office said about 140 resident assistants were paired with freshman roommates to accommodate students clamoring for on-campus housing.

Penn State's assistant director of Housing Kathy Krinks said as of last week, the number of resident assistants living with freshmen fell to 61, while about 670 students were living in supplemental housing. She said about 1,000 rooms become vacant between semesters because of students graduating, leaving to student teach, withdrawing and other circumstances. "Hopefully we'll have the same this year," she said.

The university registrar also added sections to many classes taken by freshmen to fulfill general education requirements.

Penn State spokeswoman Annemarie Mountz said Penn State received 94,500 applications for fall 2006. "As far as we know, it's the largest in the history of American higher education," she said.