Total enrollment at the University of Iowa has reached a record high this fall, with 31,498 students attending the university, including 21,999 undergraduates, 4,470 of which are first-year freshmen.

“This is what we expected,” says Michael Barron, assistant provost for enrollment management and executive director of admissions. “We’re very pleased with our overall enrollment and particularly the makeup of the incoming first-year cohort.”

The incoming class is Iowa’s most diverse ever, with 16.2 percent—725 students—identifying as minorities, continuing a trend that has seen that mark grow from 12.6 percent in 2010 and 14.2 percent last year.

Iowa residents make up 47.2 percent of the class, a 2 percent increase from last year. Domestic nonresidents account for 43.9 percent, and international students fell from a record 484 in 2011 to 398 this fall, representing 8.9 percent of the class.

“The diversity is great to see,” Barron says. “We’ve worked hard to achieve that. I’m also pleased we have increased the number of Iowans in our class.”