Harvard University, which is facing claims of racial discrimination against Asian-Americans in its admissions process, has announced that its early acceptance rate for Asian-Americans for the Class of 2022 has hit 24.2 percent, up from 21.7 percent a year earlier.

The figures were released on Dec 12 by the school on its official website, the Harvard Gazette.

Of the 6,630 applicants who applied for admission, 964 were accepted. The college said 4,882 were deferred, 611 were rejected, and 173 applications were incomplete.

The early enrollments for the Class of 2022 also reflects an overall increase in other nonwhite students from previous years, the prestigious university said.

African-Americans make up 13.9 percent of students admitted early, compared with 12.6 percent last year. At the same time, Latinos account for 9.8 percent, up 1 percentage point last year, and Native Americans/Native Hawaiians account for 1.8 percent, up from 1.1 percent.

"From small towns, suburbs, and cities - from throughout the United States and around the world - the Class of 2022 promises to be among the best classes in Harvard’s long history," said William R. Fitzsimmons, dean of admissions and financial aid at Harvard University.

Harvard is facing scrutiny from the Department of Justice and a separate lawsuit accusing the college of discriminating against Asian-Americans in its undergraduate admissions process.