ALBANY, N.Y. — The State University of New York (SUNY) announced it had "historic increases" in applications to SUNY schools from both New York residents and out-of-state students.
SUNY says it had an increase of more than 110% for fall 2023 applications, compared to fall 2022.
They credit the increase to SUNY's two-week fee waiver. For two weeks, students could apply, for free, to up to five SUNY campuses. Normally, it costs $50 per application submission. They say on average, each student applied to two SUNY campuses.
Here's the breakdown for WNY campuses:
UB: 11,816 --> 23,141
Buff State: 2,611 --> 6,919
Fredonia: 1,528 --> 3,561
NCCC: 340 --> 567
ECC: 2,300 --> 3,600
SUNY Interim Chancellor Deborah F. Stanley said in a release, "SUNY's fee waiver has been an incredible success and we are encouraged by the increase in potential students taking this step to pursue a college education. Campuses will now be working to ensure that students choose a SUNY school for their academic pursuits, providing them with guidance and financial aid assistance, when necessary. New York State has significantly invested in higher education as a driving force for its economy, and we want to make sure all New Yorkers can avail themselves of a high-quality, affordable education across our state."
"The increase in applications has far exceeded our expectations. It is a testament to the high-quality education for which SUNY is known, with some of the best faculty, staff, and campus communities in the nation. This increase is only the beginning of an upward trend we expect in enrollment across our campuses. To that end, we will work with campuses to help applicants make their final decision on which SUNY campus will be home next fall," said Joel Wincowski, Deputy to the Chancellor for Enrollment.
"Not only did applications increase, but we believe because of the applicant pool, schools moving faster at letting students know, which gives them more time to visit the campuses actually that they might have not been on but admitted to. And getting award letters out," Wincowski said.
UB was already able to send acceptance letters to future students before the holidays.
Buffalo State officials say more under-represented minorities and first generation students have also applied.
SUNY says it also had an increase in applications from potential students from other states. SUNY says it launched a match option for those in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Illinois, and California who were eligible to receive their in-state tuition and fees at a SUNY school.
SUNY has a policy to accept every student.
So if students don't get accepted to the campuses they applied to, they'll be accepted at one that's a better fit.
Fifty percent of full-time New York undergraduate students don't pay anything for tuition at SUNY with financial aid.
Students who live in New York State who live in households making under $125,000 can apply for an excelsior scholarship that will cover all their tuition.
The application for fall 2023 opens in the spring.