AUSTIN, Texas

More Blacks are studying at the University of Texas at Austin this semester than ever, breaking a record set the year a federal appeals court banned the use of race in admissions.

A record number of Hispanic students also are enrolled this semester, according to preliminary figures the university released Thursday.

The news comes two years after former president Larry Faulkner called for sweeping changes to make the campus more welcoming to students of color. Last year, the flagship university hired its first diversity officer.

“We are absolutely committed to an absolute top priority of making sure we have a diverse campus,” UT President William Powers said at a legislative hearing last week. He was not immediately available for comment Thursday.

Black student enrollment increased 5 percent to 1,939, and Hispanic student enrollment jumped 6 percent to 7,453. A total of 49,738 undergraduate, graduate and law school students are enrolled this semester.

Hispanic students now make up 15 percent of the student body, while Black students account for nearly 4 percent. White students account for 57 percent of the student body, while 14 percent are Asian. The rest of the students are American Indian, foreign or did not report their ethnicity.

UT had 1,911 Black students in the fall of 1996, shortly after the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Cheryl Hopwood and three other white applicants who sued the UT law school after they were denied admission in favor of minority candidates.

Minority enrollment took a hit in the years that followed but has inched back up, partly because of a Texas law that guarantees acceptance to students who finish high school in the top 10 percent of their class. Hispanic enrollment has exceeded pre-Hopwood levels since 2002.

The U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Hopwood ruling in 2003 and said colleges and universities could use race as a factor when admitting students.