For Release:          Immediate – August 23, 2017

Contact:                 Dave Dellecese, Public Affairs Specialist ­

                        (315) 792-7307 | ddellecese@sunypoly.edu

SUNY Poly Sees Spike in Freshmen Enrollment

More than 500 students to be welcomed at campuses in Fall 2017

Utica, NY – As students move in to the SUNY Polytechnic Institute Utica campus on Thursday, August 24, they’ll be among a record-setting number of incoming freshmen, as the institution sees a remarkable spike in undergraduate enrollment stemming from increasing interest in its wide array of hands-on educational programs that prepare students for in-demand careers and a lifetime of learning.

This fall, SUNY Poly will welcome a projected 452 Freshmen students to its Utica campus, the largest in its history, while enrollment remains steady at the SUNY Poly campus in Albany. SUNY Poly students reside in cities and towns from across New York State and the nation, as well as more than 20 countries.

“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,” said Dr. Bahgat Sammakia, SUNY Poly Interim President. “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.”

“Students find our experiential curriculum and great co-curricular opportunities exactly what they want in their college. They understand the importance of a strong focus on STEM but with equal emphasis on the humanities and arts under the guidance of exceptional faculty. They want to make a difference and know that SUNY Poly will prepare them to do just that,” said SUNY Poly Provost Dr. William Durgin. “We are proud of our very smart and motivated students who will have high impact during their careers.”

Since the 2014 merger of the SUNY Institute of Technology (SUNYIT) and the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE), freshmen enrollment at SUNY Poly has grown by 36% percent.

Many factors can affect the number of students who enter a college institution as freshmen, including outside factors such as the economy and ease of finding jobs, however, interest in SUNY Poly has built steadily. The university continues to introduce new programs aimed at both student achievement and enhancement of its unique academic environment. In the past year SUNY Poly has expanded its academic programming, announcing new majors, minors, and concentrations to better equip students for life and work in a 21^st Century economy, including offerings in Interactive Media and Game Design, Creativity and Ethical Venturing, and Systems Engineering.

SUNY Poly leaders also credit part of the increase in accepted undergraduate applications by well qualified candidates to the affordability of a college education made possible by New York State’s recently implemented Excelsior Scholarship, the first-of-its-kind in the nation program to provide college tuition-free at New York’s public universities to families making up to $100,000 a year.

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SUNY Polytechnic Institute. SUNY Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly) is New York’s globally recognized, high-tech educational ecosystem, formed from the merger of the SUNY College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering and SUNY Institute of Technology. SUNY Poly offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in the emerging disciplines of nanoscience and nanoengineering, as well as cutting-edge nanobioscience and nanoeconomics programs at its Albany location and undergraduate and graduate degrees in technology, including engineering, cybersecurity, computer science, and the engineering technologies; professional studies, including business, communication, and nursing; and arts and sciences, including natural sciences, mathematics, humanities, and social sciences at its Utica/Rome location. Thriving athletic, recreational, and cultural programs, events, and activities complement the campus experience. As the world’s most advanced, university-driven research enterprise, SUNY Poly boasts billions of dollars in high-tech investments and over 300 corporate partners since its inception. For information visit www.sunypoly.edu.