Across Urbana-Champaign, Springfield and Chicago campuses, the University of Illinois received a record 47,963 applications for a total of 10,100 seats the Fall 2012 semester.

Urbana-Champaign alone recorded a 21.94 percent acceptance rate, receiving 31,454 applications for its 6900 seats. This was a 6 percent increase from Fall 2011 applications.

University of Illinois President Robert Easter attributes the records achieved by all campuses to the outstanding value that an Illinois degree offers its students.

“There is no better barometer of our academic excellence and value than students who have their pick of schools across the country, and who choose the University of Illinois as their springboard as they pursue their dreams and careers,” Easter said in a press release.

This fall, Urbana-Champaign has seen a decrease in total enrollment. Last fall it posted 44,407 students, while this year, preliminary first-day reports from the University show a population of 42,061. Official enrollment will be posted on the tenth day of classes.

According to University spokesperson Tom Hardy, freshman class sizes do not have a set capacity. The amount of students accepted depends not only on the number of applications received, but also the quality of those applications.

Hardy said a larger number of applicants could allow class sizes to fluctuate by 100-200 students.

“People… recognize that the U of I is an exceptional educational experience and is a great value… [students] get more bang for their buck,” Hardy said.

Laura Shay, Hannah Prokop and Jack Preis contributed to this report.