UB enrollment at record high

BUFFALO, N.Y. — The University at Buffalo enrolled 29,940 students for fall semester, a record-setting number that reflects UB’s growing reputation as a world-class research university where students have the opportunity to work alongside top scholars and learn in a vibrant and diverse academic environment.

UB undergraduate and graduate enrollments were each at their highest recorded levels. For the first time, UB graduate enrollments exceeded 10,000 students, with new graduate enrollments at an all-time high, consistent with the university’s core mission of educating leaders in a wide range of fields and advancing understanding in those areas.

At the undergraduate level, UB enrolled about 3,700 freshmen, one of the largest and most prepared freshman classes in university history. The median SAT for entering freshmen is 1160, five points higher than the median for 2012.

The university’s efforts in improving student retention, especially through the Finish in Four program, have resulted in strong retention and high numbers of continuing undergraduate students.

“We are very pleased to welcome so many new and highly qualified students to UB,” said UB Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Charles F. Zukoski, PhD. “The quality, value and recognition of our academic programs are reflected in growing demand at all levels. We are very pleased to offer more students an outstanding educational experience at UB while, at the same time, raising the quality of our student body.”

The university has consistently earned recognition for offering an excellent, affordable education. During a visit to campus in August, President Barack Obama lauded the university’s commitment to ensuring that students graduate with little or no debt.

In addition, UB placed ninth in the U.S. News and World Report’s most recent ranking of universities nationwide that graduate students with the least debt, while also earning the 51st spot on the magazine’s list of best public universities.

“UB is the first choice for many of the most academically talented students in Western New York,” said A. Scott Weber, PhD, UB senior vice provost for academic affairs. “Students and their families — here and around the world — recognize the richness of the academic experience we are able to offer as a premier public research university.”

According to an economic impact assessment that the UB Regional Institute conducted, students spent an estimated average of about $7,850 each on housing, food, books, transportation and other items in 2006-07, with 92 percent of that money staying in Erie and Niagara counties. This translated to a $279 million impact on the state economy, with one-third of that amount benefiting the city of Buffalo, where one in four students lived.

This year’s enrollment highlights include significant growth in UB’s engineering programs, with about 1,800 graduate students enrolling this fall — up 35 percent from last year and an all-time high. Undergraduate engineering enrollment grew by eight percent over last year, and stands at about 3,090.

"The record enrollments in engineering at UB this year are, I believe, directly related to the discussions led by President Obama and other leaders on the importance of growing our STEM educated workforce to meet the needs of the modern world,” said Liesl Folks, PhD, dean of the UB School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

“Just having this discussion on the national platform has meant that students and their parents are hearing more about all the engineering disciplines and the opportunities that are available for engineers to impact our lives through advanced manufacturing, informatics and so many other areas,” she said.

Enrollment figures reflect current numbers, and will be updated again in late October when UB officials report final fall enrollment to SUNY.