Northern Arizona University’s student population continues to rise.

While students are still registering for fall classes, enrollment across all campuses, including online, is expected to increase by over 800 students, continuing a positive trend.

Of course, with more students enrolled, the university will need to spend more on hiring additional professors and support staff. To meet increasing demand, NAU will need to spend $3.2 million more to add more scholarships and funding opportunities for Lumberjack students.

The increase in enrollment has lead to an increase in projected revenue for the third largest public university in Arizona. With more students, NAU will bring in additional revenue but will also need to expend more on personnel and operational costs.

NAU’s proposed budget shows that the school will spend $1.5 million more next year to develop its doctorate degree program for STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) degrees, and another $2.5 million is set to go toward efforts to encourage research growth such as adding and retaining graduate students as staff.

NAU will also spend money on improving it’s online education program, with changes such as a new pricing structure for online students who will now be charged one price regardless of their residence.

Other expenditures include upkeep projects and technology improvements.