MUNCIE Ind. -- Fall enrollment at Ball State University dipped below 18,000 students, but university officials say they remain optimistic about future enrollment because the freshman class is one of the most capable ever admitted.

A total of 17,930 students are studying on the campus this fall, down from 18,528 last year. Vice President for Student Affairs Douglas McConkey said the decline is due to a smaller, better prepared entering class of 3,429 compared with 3,980 freshmen last fall.

"The smaller freshman class is the result of higher admissions standards this year," said McConkey. "Average SAT scores are up significantly, as well as high school class ranking. With the higher quality freshmen admitted, we're not at all unhappy with the drop in enrollment."

The average SAT score for entering Ball State freshmen this year is 1013, up 27 points from last year. The average SAT for all Indiana students this year is 997.

In addition, there are 11 National Merit Scholars and two National Achievement Scholars in this fall's entering class compared with three merit scholars and no achievement scholars last year. The university plans to increase enrollment to 19,500-20,000 over the next several years.

"We'll continue to enroll well-prepared students and aggressively support their efforts to learn. As a result, we expect many more of our freshmen to graduate in the future, and we expect an increase in the number of students transferring to the university," McConkey said.

Ball State enrollment this fall includes 15,890 undergraduates and 2,040 graduate students, 89 percent of whom are from Indiana.