NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The University of New Orleans says student enrollment rose this semester for the first time in nine years.

  

The Advocate of New Orleans reported Monday that the university's enrollment rose to 8,151 students for the fall semester, which is 2.4 percent higher than the same point last fall. Overall, the number of undergraduates at the university increased by 1.8 percent.

  

The news marked the culmination of an aggressive campaign to bolster its enrollment by university President John Nicklow. Those efforts included rebranding to attract potential applicants who live outside of the region. Nicklow says the numbers show the university is not sacrificing quality for quantity for their new students.

  

The university had more than 17,000 students registered before Hurricane Katrina devastated the region in 2005.