SUNY Polytechnic Institute welcomed a record number of freshmen to its Utica campus Thursday as students began arriving before the start of classes.

More than 450 freshmen are expected on campus this fall, according to a news release, making this incoming class the largest in the school’s history. Since the local college, formerly known as SUNYIT, and Albany’s College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering merged three years ago, freshman enrollment has grown by 36 percent, the release said.

“More and more students are taking notice of the superb education available to them here at SUNY Poly and public universities throughout this state at an even more affordable rate thanks to initiatives like the Excelsior Scholarship program,” Interim President Bahgat Sammakia said in the release. “The growth of our numbers at SUNY Poly can be attributed not just to the greater access to education, but also to the greater quality of education that is made possible by the fine members of our faculty and staff as we focus on providing the best experience for our students.”

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