President's Report Masthead
September 30, 2012
Incoming class builds on excellence

Students connect with each other in the Lecture Hall on the first day of fall semester classes as they wait for one class to finish.

Incoming class builds on excellence

Approximately 2,570 freshmen, 1,190 transfer students and 1,000 new graduate students joined the Binghamton University community this year. The University received over 28,140 freshman and 4,900 transfer student applications. With average high school GPAs of 94 and an SAT scores of 1930, the Class of 2016 is one of the most impressive in University history.

“Every year, Binghamton University attracts some of the most talented students from across the nation and around the world,” said Sandra Starke, vice provost for enrollment management. “This year is no exception. Binghamton, with its reputation for value and excellence, saw over 33,000 applications this year, resulting in a class that is one of the most accomplished we’ve seen. Students in the Class of 2016 have strong backgrounds in biology and math, served as leaders in their schools and demonstrated a strong commitment to public service. Their contributions will greatly enhance the intellectual, cultural and social vibrancy of our campus community.”

Nearly 4,500 graduate student applicants indicates high demand for Binghamton University master’s and doctoral programs, which include programs in professional areas such as education, engineering, management, nursing, public administration and social work, as well as those in the arts and sciences.

“People realize that a bachelor’s degree is no longer enough as a path to a successful career,” said Nancy Stamp, dean of the Graduate School. “A graduate degree provides knowledge and skills that translate into an annual salary that is $10,000 or more than the bachelor’s, which really adds up over a lifetime.”

Nearly 1,200 transfer students enrolled at Binghamton University for the fall, with approximately 165 (13 percent) hailing from Broome Community College (BCC). An additional 45 students have signed up for the Binghamton Advantage program, a joint admission program that allows students to attend BCC while living on the Binghamton University campus. The mean GPA for entering transfers is 3.4.

Binghamton again saw an increase in the number of new international students this fall. The over 400 incoming undergraduate international students represent over 55 countries, with the greatest population coming from China, South Korea, India, Vietnam, United Kingdom and Turkey.

Geographically, the incoming class closely reflects the distribution of New York state’s population with about 7 percent of the new undergraduate class coming from Broome and Tioga counties, 27 percent from upstate New York, 23 percent from Long Island and 18 percent from New York City.