Enrollment at Virginia State University has dropped less than initially projected — good news for the school and a relief to Dr. Pamela V. Hammond, the interim president.

The latest figures indicate nearly 4,500 students are enrolled and validated as meeting their financial obligations. That’s about 130 students fewer than projected for the spring semester in the university’s budget.

Earlier this month, Dr. Hammond and VSU’s board of visitors were advised that fewer than 4,250 students might be enrolled this semester.

Dr. Hammond told the Free Press last week the higher enrollment means she will not have to consider additional personnel actions to balance the budget.

After taking office Jan. 1, she ordered a freeze on hiring and other spending to stabilize finances and those freezes are still in place. She said the freezes should keep spending in line with revenue through the rest of the fiscal year.

But the improved enrollment still represents a decline from the fall semester when 5,030 students were enrolled. That was a 700-student drop from the fall of 2013.

This spring’s enrollment is down 600 students from the 5,173 students who enrolled for the 2014 spring semester.

VSU has yet to indicate how many enrolled students are staying in the apartments and dorms that it owns and operates.

Dr. Hammond said she’s proud of the hard work that went into increasing the number of students who enrolled this spring.

She mentioned how two faculty members came up with $700 to help one student cover tuition.

“We have many of the poorest students in the state,” she said, President noting many are hard- Hammond pressed to cover the full cost. Many times, she said, their families are strapped and cannot help.

She said she will be stepping up efforts to involve alumni and other university supporters to come up with additional funds to help students who already have borrowed their limit.

Even with the hiring freeze, she said she would bring a grant writer and a director of alumni affairs on board to help generate more funds from outside tuition.

Currently, only about 12 percent of the alumni give, she said. While that’s better than many schools, “that gives us an opportunity. We need to do a better job of keeping in touch with our graduates.”

She said along with contributions, she would be pressing alumni to be more engaged in recruiting students. She said alumni need to be out telling their story and encouraging young people to consider VSU.