Continued demand for higher education drove enrollment numbers to an all-time high at the University of Washington Tacoma for winter quarter, according to a statement released Thursday. The total headcount reached 3,155 students for the quarter, which began Jan. 4. This represents a 1.4 percent increase over the autumn quarter’s headcount of 3,111. Comparing year-to-year, the winter 2010 enrollment showed a 4 percent increase over winter 2009’s headcount of 3,032.

UW Tacoma saw a continuation of another upward trend. More students are taking a full load of classes. For winter quarter, 67 percent of all students attend full time, compared to a year ago, when 63.8 percent of students were full time. The full-time equivalent, or FTE, numbers show an uptick as well. Winter quarter 2010 registrations reached 2,680 FTE, compared to 2,533 in 2009, an increase of 5.8 percent. The UW Tacoma FTE is nearly 11 percent over the level for which the university receives funding from the state Legislature.

Applications for admission from transfer students rose more than 24 percent over last winter quarter, from 406 in 2009 to 504 this year.

“The campus continues to see growth in applications, as well as more continuing students enrolling at a full-time rate,” said Derek Levy, associate vice chancellor for Enrollment Services. “The result was increased competition for the available spaces for new students.”