For the 2019-20 academic year, Binghamton University is seeing a decline in the number of incoming applications.
For the 2015-16 academic year, applications numbered at 30,615, for 2016-17, at 32,105 and, for 2017-18, at 33,406. Although applications increased steadily throughout these years, the 2019-20 numbers have fallen short of continuing the pattern.
According to Krista Medionte-Phillips, director of undergraduate admissions, in comparison to last year’s record high, counting at 38,716 applications, first-year applications are down by about 3 percent, with slightly more than 37,000 submitted to date. Medionte-Phillips wrote in an email that the downturn in applications is not unique to BU, with schools across the State University of New York (SUNY) system seeing similar decreases.
“Like other SUNY University Centers and four-year colleges, Binghamton has seen a slight decrease in first-year applications this year,” Medionte-Phillips wrote in an email. “Compared to two years ago, first-year applications are up by about [12 to 13 percent].”
According to Medionte-Phillips, the University is looking into why applications may have decreased for the upcoming academic year.
“Each year, the Admissions Office assesses our initiatives and strategies,” Medionte-Phillips wrote. “However, we do feel that we have a robust pool of applicants to continue to enroll a top class. It is too early to pinpoint the exact cause of the decrease, but it is something that we are analyzing and discussing throughout SUNY.”
Ryan Yarosh, senior director of media and public relations, wrote in an email that the University has still received an impressive number of applications for the class of 2023.
“I think it’s important to keep in mind that the University received over 37,000 applications for over 2,000 spots as Binghamton continues to build a strong academic reputation as a place where the best students in the nation — and the world — come to learn,” Yarosh wrote.
But despite the decrease, some applicants still considered the University one of their top choices, including Meagan Hui, 17, of Livingston, New Jersey, who applied to BU via early action and was accepted in February. She will start at the University next fall, and said she chose to apply because her mother and aunts are alumni.
“When I visited, I fell in love with the campus — I’m from the suburbs and personally prefer an open campus unlike NYU or other colleges in the city,” Hui said. “The thing about BU was that it also has an amazing business school. I already knew I was going into accounting, and BU has lots of recruiters for internships and jobs for large firms, which is amazing.”
Amy Donovan contributed reporting to this article.