A 19.3 percent increase in enrollment this fall semester has set a new record at the 140-year-old Alcorn State University, officials said.

Figures released by the Mississippi Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning, which governs the public universities, show ASU enrolled 4,391 students, up from 3,682 a year ago.

“Prospective students and their families believe in the value of an Alcorn education,” ASU President Dr. M. Christopher Brown II said in a press release. “It is gratifying to know that we have diverse, high-achieving students choosing Alcorn for their academic pursuits.”

This year’s enrollment exceeded the 4,100-student target set by Brown, said Clara Ross Stamps, associate vice president for marketing.

“This is our largest head count ever,” she said. “To increase enrollment, Alcorn redefined and redesigned its marketing and branding efforts. Dr. Brown made enrollment a top priority from day one by engaging and challenging students and alumni in recruitment efforts.”

Brown, who became ASU’s 18th president in January, had set enrollment targets for each year up to 2013, when enrollment is expected to reach 5,100 students. The target for 2012 is set at 4,600 students, Stamps said.

ASU’s population is comprised of students from 32 states and more than 16 countries, Stamps said.

The land-grant university has seen an increase in enrollment since 2009, when the number of registered students rose 2.7 percent from the previous year. A larger increase, 10.4 percent, was seen the following year.

The university’s summer session also saw record-breaking enrollment with 1,900 students, though missing its target of 2,000, said Samuel L. White, executive vice president and provost for academic affairs.

ASU’s main campus is in Lorman. It also offers classes in Natchez and Vicksburg.

The university’s 10 dorms house 1,748 students, Stamps said.

All but one of the state’s public universities saw increases in enrollment this semester.

Mississippi Valley State University’s enrollment decreased 4.2 percent from 2,636 students to 2,526 students.

Seeing increases:

• Delta State University, from 4,327 students to 4,624 students, 6.9 percent.

• Jackson State University, from 8,687 students to 8,903 students, 2.5 percent.

• Mississippi State University, from 19,644 students to 20,424 students, 4 percent.

• Mississippi University for Women, from 2,587 students to 2,663 students, 2.9 percent.

• University of Mississippi, from 19,546 students to 20,822 students, 6.5 percent.

• University of Southern Mississippi, 15,778 students to 16,506 students, 4.6 percent.