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Enrollment dipped slightly at the UA this year, while growth at ASU and NAU pushed student counts to record levels.

This fall, the University of Arizona accepted its largest freshman class ever at 6,009 students and also set a record for the greatest portion of minority students, according to data released Wednesday.

Overall, the UA has 36,805 students, down from 37,036 last year and 36,932 in 2004.

Arizona State University has the country's largest student body, with 63,278 students, almost 4 percent higher than last year's 61,033. Northern Arizona University's enrollment jumped almost 8 percent to 20,562 students, spurred by rapid growth in distance education programs across the state, as well as on the Flagstaff campus.

The UA's student body is 52.6 percent female, 70.1 percent Arizona residents and 26.9 percent minority. There are 28,442 undergraduates and 8,363 graduate and professional students.

The freshman class has 92 National Merit Scholars, down from 104 last year, while nearly doubling the number of National Hispanic Scholars, from 27 students last year to 49 now. Twelve Flinn Scholars are in this freshman class.

The average SAT score of incoming freshman is 1106, while the average high-school grade point average is 3.36.

For new freshman, 20.9 percent entered school with no major selected. Pre-business was the most selected major, at 18.8 percent, followed by pre-physiology, psychology, pre-pharmacy and pre-nursing, all in the 3 percent to 6 percent range.

The UA also had more transfer students from Pima Community College than ever before, with 880 transfers.

Minority students make up 30.8 percent of the freshman class, 36.2 percent of in-state freshmen and 33.7 percent of transfer students, all new highs for the university.