Troy University officials don’t know exact numbers, but if early indicators hold true, the student population will grow once again this year.

Troy’s Dean of Admissions Buddy Starling said he won’t know the final enrollment number until registration ends Aug. 16, but from what he knows now, the university will welcome more students than it did last fall.

“For this fall 2010 enrollment cycle, we’ve had an 8 percent increase in application and an 8 percent increase in acceptances,” Starling said. “And those are two critical indicators there.”

Starling said another indicator is Troy University Housing has been on a waiting list since February of this year.

Dean of Student Services Herb Reeves said while this is nothing new, he believes the number of applicants to on-campus housing could mean a greater number of students.

“It’s hard to tell until they all get here, but based on applications this year, housing applications were certainly up in preparation for the fall,” Reeves said. “I don’t know an exact number, but there’s probably a 2 to 3 percent increase in housing applications.”

Reeves said with the exception of a few spots in the university’s sorority housing and one or two places for male students, the housing department has had a waiting list for months.

In addition, several local apartment complexes said they are full or nearly full already.

“We are not full yet, but we are very close to full capacity,” said Stephanie Ingle, an employee of The Grove of Troy.

Kyle Simpler, with Porter Properties, said all four of their apartment complexes — University Corners, University Apartments, Village Apartments and Bradford Apartments — have reached capacity.

Troy Place Apartments, another popular apartment complex for university students, is also nearing the end of vacancies.

“By the end of the week, we will be full,” said Drew Bradshaw, an employee of Troy Place.

Starling said indicators such as these are a preview of what is likely to come.

“We take a lot of stock in those type of indicators,” Starling said.

While Starling said he doesn’t predict exactly an 8 percent increase in enrollment this fall, the numbers are likely to be more.

Last year, Troy’s campus had about 7,000 students.

“Obviously we’re telling our story better, have more effective recruitment, an implementation of better technology and responsiveness to our applicants through technology,” Starling said.

In February, Starling said the university also launched a new Active Admissions Website, which he attributes also to assisting in the admissions process.