SEATTLE – More students are studying this fall at Washington’s public four-year universities, thanks to such factors as larger freshmen classes, expanding branch campuses and better retention among upperclassmen, school officials said Tuesday.

Total enrollment for the six four-year schools was 99,924, up from 99,332 last fall.

“The other piece of really good news is we’ve seen our graduation rates jump significantly,” said Karen Copetas, director of admissions and enrollment planning at Western Washington University in Bellingham.

Western’s final fall enrollment figures showed 2,425 freshman, compared to 2,381 in 2005. Transfer students increased from 881 to 952 this fall.

The University of Washington’s enrollment figures showed a similar story in Seattle, with an increase in enrollment from 39,251 in fall 2005 to 39,524 this fall, said university registrar Todd Mildon.

After several years of ups and downs, the UW Seattle freshman class grew significantly to 5,438, compared with 4,893 last fall.