Fueled by a big freshman class, Idaho State University is reporting an enrollment increase this fall.

All told, 1,759 first-year students enrolled at Idaho State — up 26% from the previous fall. It represents Idaho State’s largest freshman class in nearly a decade.

The big freshman class is not really a surprise — Idaho State issued a news release in September touting some preliminary numbers. But this week, Idaho State and the state’s other four-year schools had to turn in their final fall numbers to the State Board of Education.

Some thumbnails:

• Overall enrollment: up, by 2.6%.
• Undergraduate enrollment, up, by 6.4%.
• Graduate enrollment: down, by 3.4%.
• Dual-credit enrollment: down, by 1.6%.

Idaho State also touted a record retention rate.

Retention has been one of Idaho State’s policy priorities for several years, and this year’s 74% rate is up 10 percentage points from three years ago.

“Moving the retention needle for an entire university by even a few percentage points is incredibly difficult, but to increase our retention rate by 10% over three years is truly a significant achievement,” said Corey Zink, associate vice president for enrollment management, in a news release Wednesday. “This represents a staggering investment of time and energy from every department and division.”