Record Setting SUNY Enrollment Tops 427,000

Albany – State University of New York Interim Chancellor Dr. John B. Clark today announced the 10^th consecutive year of record-setting enrollment. More students are attending SUNY now than at any other time in the history of the university.

For the fall of 2007, official enrollment on the 64 SUNY campuses increased 2.4 percent to 427,398 students.  Minority student enrollment at SUNY is also at record levels.

SUNY Interim Chancellor Dr. John B. Clark said, “High school graduates and their parents continue to recognize the outstanding value and high quality of a SUNY education.  Overall and minority student enrollment continue strong upward trends, indicating that SUNY campuses remain highly accessible and help to provide a more diverse population on our campuses.”

Minority student enrollment increased 3.8 percent compared to last fall and now totals 85,023 students, nearly 20 percent of total enrollment.  The Black student population at SUNY totals 37,088 students, 8.7 percent of total enrollment and SUNY Hispanic student enrollment for the fall 2007 totals 26,702 students, which is 6.2 percent of the population.  SUNY’s Asian/Pacific Islander student population represents 4.5 percent of the total or 19,172 students.

Additional highlights for final fall 2007 enrollment include:

• Since the fall of 1997, minority student enrollment has increased by more than 33 percent.  Hispanic student enrollment during the same period nearly doubled an increase of 48.5 percent.  At the same time, Black student enrollment also grew 33 percent, while the number of Asian/Pacific Islander students increased from 16,354 to 19,172, for an increase of 17.2 percent.

• The freshman class at SUNY is also the largest ever at 73,302 in fall 2007.  This represents a 4.1 percent increase or 2,861 more freshman that the previous year.  This means more New Yorkers are choosing to attend a SUNY as their college of preference.

• New undergraduate transfer students also are at an all time high at 24,977.  Facilitating the transfer of students is a high priority for SUNY.  Fall 2007 results indicate that SUNY’s policies in this area are working.      

• 40,580 graduate students enrolled at SUNY in fall 2007.  This too is the largest number of graduate students in the history of the State University dating back to 1949.

• Following a trend that has existed for many years, full-time enrollments in fall 2007 is at an all time high of 298,038 students.  Full-time students grew by 2.5 percent or 7,350 students when compared to the previous year.

• Women continue to outnumber men on SUNY campuses and comprise 55.1 percent, 235,641 students, of SUNY’s total population.   

About the State University of New York

The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive university system in the United States, educating 427,398 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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