AUGUSTA (AP) — An increase in the number of out-of-state students enrolled in University of Maine System schools this fall is providing a financial boost for the cash-strapped system.

The Portland Press Herald (http://bit.ly/VCeKqx ) reported that as of Aug. 10 commitments from out-of-state students — who pay nearly three times the in-state tuition — are up 12 percent over the same time last year.

More than 1,500 new out-of-state students will attend the system’s seven campuses, 162 more than last year.

The system’s two largest biggest campuses, the University of Maine in Orono and University of Southern Maine, have both attracted about 16 percent more out-of-state students.

The UMaine System in May approved a $529 million budget that included 157 job cuts and required $11.4 million in emergency funds to close a $36 million deficit.