Fall enrollment at the University of Hawai'i at Hilo on the BIg Island increased by 178 students to 3,786, or 4.9 percent over the previous year, the school announced.

Part of this year's increase can be attributed to the College of Pharmacy, which seated its second class of 90 students. The college will continue to produce net gains by admitting two more classes of approximately 90 students before awarding its first Doctorate of Pharmacy degrees in 2011, school officials stated in a news release.

Another contributing factor was an increase in freshman admissions. First-time freshman applications this fall totaled 2,043, or 14 percent more than the 1,785 received last year. The university accepted 1,139 or 13 percent more than fall 2007, with 548 or 8 percent more enrolling than the 508 who did so a year ago.

Overall, UH-Hilo attracted 2,590 students from Hawai`i, or 278 more than last year. Resident students now make up more than 68 percent of the entire student body, compared with just under 65 percent in fall 2007.