SUNY Enrollment Increases Nearly 6 Percent, Sets Records

Albany – State University of New York Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher today announced that 464,981 students enrolled at the 64 SUNY campuses for the fall 2009 semester.  This is largest number of students ever served by SUNY.

The year-to-year increase of 25,458 students represents an increase of nearly six percent and is the largest single-year increase in SUNY’s history.

“These historic enrollment numbers clearly demonstrate that more people view SUNY as the best option for a world-class education at an affordable price,” said Chancellor Zimpher.  “We are committed to continuing to provide excellent educational opportunities and serving as an engine of economic recovery for New York.  That is why SUNY is engaging in a system-wide strategic plan to make sure we can serve this increased demand in tough economic times.”

“The fact that SUNY colleges continue to try to accommodate even more students in the face of a very tight budgets speak to the dedication of our faculty and staff to do their very best to serve under trying conditions,” said SUNY Interim Provost David K. Lavallee.

Enrollment Highlights

• The 30 SUNY Community Colleges continue to enroll more students, 242,742, than the four-year campuses, 222,239.

• Enrollments grew by 9.8 percent over the prior year at the community colleges.

• Fourteen community colleges reported growth of more than 10 percent and Adirondack, Dutchess, Suffolk, and Ulster community colleges grew more than 15 percent. All 30 community colleges grew at least four percent.

• Fueling the growth at the community colleges was an increase of 10.8 percent in first time full-time students, a 21.4 percent increase in new transfer students, and an11.8 percent increase in continuing students.

• 222,239 students enrolled at the baccalaureate and doctoral granting campuses, 3,711 more students than in the prior year, an increase of 1.7 percent.

• The Colleges of Technology at Alfred State, Canton, and Delhi; Empire State College, Upstate Medical University, and the College at Old Westbury grew enrollment by more than 5 percent.

Campus-specific enrollment is available here.  Trend and other enrollment data are available here.

Many of these community college students will move through the education pipeline to the SUNY baccalaureate and doctoral granting campuses at a time when resources have greatly diminished.  Chancellor Zimpher commented that with booming enrollment at the community college and modest growth at the baccalaureate and doctoral granting institutions, SUNY needs to better plan and manage enrollment. 

Enrollment impacts all SUNY does, the chancellor said, including other core infrastructure issues such as student mobility and the need for five-year budgeting and additional operational flexibility.

During Chancellor Zimpher’s 2009 tour of all 64 campuses, strategic enrollment management was identified as one of the core infrastructure issue that SUNY needed to address.  Core infrastructure issues affect current day-to-day operations of SUNY and are separate and distinct from the emerging themes which concern the formulation of a strategic plan that will guide SUNY through the next decade.

The overarching theme in SUNY’s strategic planning process is Ensuring Economic Vitality and Quality of Life for New York. For more information about SUNY’s strategic planning process, click here.

About the State University of New York

The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive university system in the United States, educating nearly 465,000 students in 7,669 degree and certificate programs on 64 campuses. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunity, visit www.suny.edu 

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