Applications up, selectivity stays steady

Applications to attend SUNY Oswego set a 21st century high again this year, but the college held to its quality standards and largely kept the numbers of undergraduate admissions in line with those of recent years.

At the same time, students in underrepresented racial and ethnic groups increased significantly.

Joseph Grant, vice president for student affairs and enrollment, said the college welcomed about 1,400 freshmen and 785 transfers this fall.

Freshman applications for fall totaled about 10,650, a small increase from last fall’s 10,463, and 40 percent more than the 7,565 just five years ago.

The preliminary 2010-11 admissions numbers showed applications totaled more than 13,000 from prospective freshmen and transfers. Grant said he believes that a key reason for the heavy flow lies in value, not just in price, compared with private colleges and other educational alternatives.

The college accepted 47 percent of applicants, the same percentage it has accepted for the last two academic years. Only six years ago, the acceptance rate was 57 percent.

Of the approximately 1,400 entering freshmen, 277, or 19.4 percent, are from underrepresented groups. That’s up from 217, which was 15.6 percent of last year’s entering class.

— Jeff Rea ’71