YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - Youngstown State University has expanded it's outreach in recruiting students to 60 counties, and it's paying off.

YSU President Jim Tressel tells 21 News he's excited about the fact that they have attracted more students this year and increased enrollment over what it's been in the last five years.

"We're getting a really high quality of students. Our average ACT has gone up. Our average GPA has gone up. Our numbers have gone up. We're attracting people from within our five county base. But also outside our five county base and creating more of a global setting. Our international student population is up. So inch by inch I think we're making some progress," President Tressel said.

President Tressel says they'll visit high schools in October, November and January.

One of the big messages YSU talks to high school students about is making sure that they understand the cost of education, and the planning that needs to go in to it, and the goal that needs to be set so that the young person doesn't leave college with a huge burden of student debt.