For the fifth consecutive year, enrollment in the University of Maine System has increased, this year exceeding 32,000 students for the spring semester, UMS Chancellor Terrence MacTaggart reported earlier this week.

Some campuses have seen growth, while others a slight decrease in student population.

Enrollment at the University of Maine in Orono is up 209 students from last year’s 10,795, while enrollment is down at the University of Maine at Presque Isle, the University of Southern Maine and the University of Maine at Farmington.

UMPI saw the largest percentage decrease, with a decline of 80 students when compared with the spring 2006 enrollment of 1,495 students.

“Currently 75 percent of all students enrolled in public higher education in Maine are enrolled in our universities,” MacTaggart said in a news release Monday. “The demand continues to be strong, both in campus-based courses as well as through Web-based courses and other distance education options.”

There are 32,340 students enrolled systemwide for the spring semester, which is an overall increase of 311 students, or 1 percent, compared with the same time last year. Of those, 19,243 are enrolled full time.

Students attending UMS campuses come from all of Maine’s 16 counties, all but two states and the District of Columbia.

The total number of credit-hours being taught is the second-highest in the system’s 38-year history, MacTaggart said.

Over the course of a calendar year, more than 45,000 students enroll in the University of Maine System, with thousands more taking noncredit courses and programs.

Established in 1968, the University of Maine System comprises seven universities located across the state, as well as 11 University College outreach centers, a law school, and 75 interactive distance learning sites.