The last record was set only last semester, when 31,681 students enrolled at the university for the spring session.

University officials said that while it¹s a compliment that so many students want to get their education at Northridge, it has been a challenge trying to get so many bodies into a limited number of classes.

"It's an indication that we're becoming a destination campus," said Louanne Kennedy, provost and vice president of academic affairs. "But at the same time, the classroom situation is tight. We're doing everything we can to accommodate the students. We're even offering classes in conference rooms. If there's a space available we're going to use it."

Kennedy said classrooms and lecture halls are nearly all full from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day. The university even offers classes on Saturdays and Sundays to meet the demand. Across the campus, the university has more than 200 lecture classrooms.

University officials scoured CSUN's already tight budget during the summer and transferred about $400,000 from other projects to academic programs just to accommodate the new students, Kennedy said.

The high enrollment occurred despite CSUN closing admissions early to several student groups last year.

Admission was closed to first-time freshmen last November, to lower-division transfer students in February and upper-division transfer students in March. The university did not accept students applying for second bachelor's degrees or post-baccalaureate studies, and closed admission to master's and credential students in August.

CSUN will not be admitting first-time freshmen nor anyone seeking post-baccalaureate studies or a second bachelor's degree next spring. The university also stopped accepting applications for spring enrollment from transfer students in August.

Margaret Fieweger, associate vice president for undergraduate studies, said that in some ways, the high enrollment at Northridge was "a testament to the quality of education we offer at Cal State Northridge."

Despite the crunch, Kennedy said she has been impressed with the patience of the students, staff and faculty, many of whom are taking on more students than they originally thought they would have in their classes.

"For some faculty, that has meant completely redesigning their class plans," Kennedy said. "Everyone has done a great job of maintaining morale and goodwill throughout it all. For that, I am grateful. And it probably explains in part why we're becoming a destination university. It's the caliber of our faculty and students."

California State University, Northridge has more than 32,500 full- and part-time students and offers 59 bachelor's and 41 master's degrees as well as 28 education credential programs. Founded in 1958, it is the only four-year university in the San Fernando Valley and the third largest in the 23-campus CSU system. The Western Association of Schools and Colleges recently said CSUN "stands as a model to other public urban institutions of higher education."