SEATTLE (AP) - Students continue to stream onto the campuses of Washington's public four-year universities as the enrollment boom of the past few years shows no sign of ending.

The University of Washington's Seattle campus has enrolled 41,405 students this fall, an increase of 1,187 students over fall 2007, university officials said.

Record-breaking freshman classes and better recruitment and retention were responsible for the increases at the state's six universities, school officials said. They also boast of a more diverse freshman class, with the Latino student population showing significant growth.

The University of Washington was aiming for 5,500 freshmen this year and so far the freshman class stands at 5,540, said Philip Ballinger, admissions director.

Enrollment at the university's branch campuses in Tacoma and Bothell is also up, but final figures won't be available until later this week. Early numbers showed the Tacoma campus nearing 3,000 students, which would be an increase of 350 students over fall 2007.

"More and more students are realizing that access to a University of Washington-quality education exists right here in Tacoma," said Derek Levy, who leads UW Tacoma's Enrollment Services office.

University President Mark Emmert said this past summer that he would like to double enrollment at UW branch campuses over the next decade. He told the Higher Education Coordinating Board that his plan would require aggressive outreach as well as on-campus housing in Tacoma and Bothell.

Washington State University reported a record fall enrollment for the second year in a row, with 25,135 students attending classes at the school's four campuses, an increase of 1,166 students since fall 2007.

Each of the college's campuses has more students this fall.

"I'm pleased with the success of our outreach and recruitment efforts. We continue to attract a well-qualified and diverse group of students who will benefit from a Washington State University education and will, in turn, help build the economy of the future," said John Fraire, vice president for enrollment management.

Enrollment at Central Washington University also broke records. The school has its biggest freshman class: 1,554 compared to 1,483 students in fall 2007, another record year. Total full-time enrollment was 9,600, compared with 9,477 last fall.

CWU officials credited outreach efforts to reach students from every part of Washington for this year's enrollment figures. Spokeswoman Becky Watson about 45 percent of the student body travels to Ellensburg from west of the Cascade Mountain Range.

Minorities make up about 20 percent of the CWU student population and nearly half the students are the first people in their families to go to college, Watson said.

"Most of that is a real growth in our Latino population," she said.

Eastern Washington University, where enrollment has spiked back up this year after a one-year downturn, also reports a growth in its Latino population. The university's Latino president, Rodolfo ArDevalo, who came to EWU in 2006, has made minority recruitment a top priority, said college spokesman Dave Meany.

Eastern's fall enrollment is 9,897, its second-biggest year. The university saw its enrollment dip slightly in fall 2007 to 9,841, after 19 consecutive quarters of growth, Meany said.

He said the university has made recruitment one of its top priorities. Freshmen enrollment is up and so is campus diversity. Minority students make up 25 percent of the 2008 freshman class and 22 percent of the total student population.

Fall enrollment is also up at The Evergreen State College and Western Washington University. Evergreen has grown to 4,581 students from 4,534 in 2007. Preliminary numbers show Western has seen its population grow from 13,352 to 13,700.