Both graduation and diversity rates are increasing on campus, according to UT officials.

The four-year graduation rate for the University is now 57.7 percent and is the highest on record, according to a University press release. This is a 2.6 percent increase from the previous year, and more than 500 undergraduates students graduated on time than last year.

“These new numbers are very positive. I am proud of the work our faculty and university leaders have done to keep UT students on track for four-year graduation — and proud of our students’ success,” UT president Gregory Fenves said in the press release. “We will continue to work hard to help students graduate on time with a high-quality education.”

The class of 2017 was the first class to be included in the University’s initiative of reaching a 70 percent four-year graduation rate. After two years, the persistence rate for this class is 90.5 percent — the highest on record.

The University also found that students returning after their freshman year increased to 95.5 percent. Other findings included UT received 43,592 freshman applicants this year, and 7,746 freshmen enrolled at UT, a 6.3 percent increase from a year ago.

The number of Hispanic and African-American students in the incoming freshman increased from 20.6 percent to 22.1 percent and 4.3 percent to 5.3 percent, respectively, since last year, according to the press release.