Farmingdale Enrollment Continues to Climb

Farmingdale now ranks second in undergraduate enrollment among all Long Island colleges and universities, behind only Stony Brook.

Farmingdale reached 105 percent of its total enrollment target and 111 percent of its target for continuing and returning students, an important measure of satisfaction among those already attending the college, college officials announced this week.

“With the breadth of our academic programs, the renovation of academic buildings and laboratories, the new construction in our athletics complex, the opening of a new Campus Center, and the beautification of the campus, there has never been a better time to be a faculty member, staff member—and especially a student—at Farmingdale,” said College President W. Hubert Keen.

College officials point to several factors that have contributed to Farmingdale’s explosive growth—a 64 percent increase in total enrollment and a 106 percent increase in full-time enrollment since 2000.

Farmingdale ranked highly in two surveys that analyze the earnings power of students who are graduates. Payscale.com, which tracks trends in high education, ranked Farmingdale 107th among all public colleges in the nation in graduates’ salaries in a 2012 survey. Farmingdale also ranked 30th among 472 New York State Colleges in “Return On Investment” in an analysis released this year by AffordableCollegesOnline.org, a leading resource for college affordability.

“Students want to get jobs and earn good salaries when they graduate,” Dr. Keen said. “And it’s no secret—their parents want them to get good jobs, too. Graduates of our array of academic programs in sophisticated disciplines are in high demand by business and industry."

In addition, Farmingdale has emphasized the value it provides at a SUNY tuition cost of less than $6,000 for an entire year, compared with the $30,000-50,000 tuition rate at many private colleges.