SUNY announces record enrollment in fall 2008 semester

More students than ever are herding into the state university system, with this past fall's enrollment showing a record high number.

The State University of New York enrolled 439,624 students this past fall -- an increase of 12,226 students over last year.

The numbers are in line with the general growth at SUNY, where enrollment has grown almost 20 percent over the past decade.

In the past ten years, new full-time freshmen enrollment has increased 33 percent; new full-time transfers grew by 23 percent; and new full-time graduate students by 40 percent, according to SUNY officials.

The announcement comes a day after SUNY announced it was raising tuition by $620 per year, bringing the total to $4,970. Officials said today the increase was implemented based on a tuition policy that "would enable students and their parents to better plan for future college costs and provide SUNY with the ability to invest in academic quality initiatives such as hiring additional full-time faculty and providing scholarships and other students services."