SUNY Niagara enrollment up 11%

SUNY Niagara Press Release & Photos

Over 3,500 SUNY Niagara students started classes this week, 11% more than attended the college at the beginning of the fall 2024 semester. Enrollment has increased this year at both the Sanborn campus and the Niagara Falls Culinary Institute (NFCI).

“Naturally, we’re thrilled to continue on a growth trajectory,” said Stephanie Florczak, SUNY Niagara director of admissions. “The admissions office staff has worked hard over the last several months, making ourselves available to anyone interested in college. But a double-digit enrollment increase has exceeded our expectations. This is even more the case at NFCI, where we’ve jumped 16% over fall 2024.”

This is the third consecutive year of enrollment gains at SUNY Niagara. The college’s enrollment grew over 18% between the fall 2022 semester and the fall 2024 semester, the most among all SUNY colleges during that time.

“We’re delighted to introduce this new class to SUNY Niagara and to bring our returning students back to campus,” said SUNY Niagara President Lloyd Holmes. “The welcoming environment we create is one of our greatest assets, and we show it right from the start of the semester. Whether you graduated from high school in May or have decided to pursue a degree a little later in life, that first day of school can be a bit intimidating. Our job – and it’s especially important when we open for the fall – is to make sure that everyone finds their fit here.”

Student Housing Village, the complex adjacent to SUNY Niagara’s Sanborn campus, reached capacity and has put its showroom online as living space for students this fall. Move-in began last week.

“These past few days have been busy, for sure, situating residents, meeting parents and making sure everything was ready for the school year,” said John Lindahl, director of student housing at Student Housing Village. “We realize that our work contributes a lot to students’ overall experience at SUNY Niagara. They’re getting excellence in the classroom. We want to give them excellence outside of it, too.”

The college also is seeing the effects of SUNY Reconnect, the state program that effectively makes pursuing several associate degrees at New York’s community colleges free for qualified students age 25 to 55.

“SUNY Reconnect definitely has been a win for folks who have been out of high school for a while,” said SUNY Niagara Vice President for Student Services John Delate. “This fall, more than 150 students on our campus are taking advantage of the program, and I think they’d all agree that not having to worry about covering the costs of their education is a huge plus.”

Delate added that, after a successful fall opening, the college has turned toward sustaining enrollment gains.

“Attracting students is important, of course,” Delate said. “But what we do beyond recruitment to make sure students feel good about staying with us is essential, too. Helping everyone who has chosen SUNY Niagara reach their individual goals will be our focus for the rest of the school year.”

A SUNY Niagara student receives a welcome packet from a member of the Student Housing Village staff.

A new student picks up a SUNY Niagara T-shirt and lanyard at a welcome event in the college’s Learning Commons.