ARCATA -- If you want to attend Humboldt State University in the fall, it might be smart to enroll sooner rather than later.

The university expects record enrollment this fall of both freshmen and transfer students. Admissions staff are trying to get the word out that prospective applicants must sign up no later than Aug. 1.

"They might not be able to get into HSU at the last minute the way they used to," said Admissions Director Scott Hagg.

Current projections suggest the incoming freshmen class will exceed 900. Transfer enrollments this fall are expected to top 1,000, bringing the total close to 2,000.

The university's enrollment goal for the fall term is 7,240. By the latest estimates, HSU has 7,230 lined up, with about a month and a half remaining before the Aug. 1 deadline.

Hagg says the record numbers are fueled by a statewide surge in the student-aged population and HSU's expanded outreach to undergraduate candidates. In recent years, HSU's enrollment rates had lagged behind the statewide boom.

Many HSU students hail from Southern California, but Hagg said 197 of this fall's 900 freshmen are from Humboldt County. Of the projected 1,000 transfer students, 253 will be moving from College of the Redwoods to HSU.

Hagg emphasized that the early August 1 cutoff is a hard deadline. Applications postmarked later than that will be deferred to the spring term of 2004 or the subsequent fall term.

Applicants can register online at http://www.csumentor.edu , or can stop by Room 215 of Siemens Hall to pick up the forms. Both online and paper applications will only be accepted until Aug. 1.