Eastern Illinois University says its enrollment this spring is up 5 percent compared with last year.

The university says total enrollment is 7,016, up from 6,673 in the spring of 2017.

University administrators say the increase is a result of a multi-year plan designed to counteract challenges such as the yearslong state budget impasse.

Colleges and universities were hit hard by the stalemate. EIU had to lay off 400 staff members, and enrollment fell. Last fall the Charleston university reported enrollment of 7,030 students, down from 7,415 students in 2016.

Josh Norman is EIU's associate vice president for enrollment management. He says EIU has improved outreach and marketing and added programs.

The bulk of this spring's increase is undergraduate transfer students, which climbed from 260 last year to 1,335.