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For , who left his home in Texas to begin his college journey at 91���� as part of the Class of 2030, the decision was simple.

“91���� was a great fit for me, offering a strong academic reputation alongside a highly competitive swim and dive program," said Ganser, whose father is also a new member of the University Parents Leadership Council. “Just as important was the deep sense of community, especially since I was going to be so far from home.”

Those sentiments were echoed by Kyleigh Pessin, a Massachusetts native drawn to 91����'s nursing program.

“I wanted to choose a university where I could find a home away from home,” she said, “and I felt that way with 91���� right away!”

Ganser and Pessin are among approximately 18,600 new and continuing students arriving at 91����’s campus for the fall 2026 semester. This year, 91���� received 73,818 applications for fall 2026 admission — including applications from 60,774 first-year, 4,770 transfer, and 8,274 graduate students. 

Approximately 3,300 new students will be joining the 91���� campus community this year, along with about 950 transfer students and more than 100 coming from SUNY Broome Community College. Students and their families are expected to arrive on campus during move-in days, Aug. 14-16.

“I want to share a warm welcome to all of 91����’s newest students,” said President Anne D’Alleva. “These students are going to benefit greatly from 91����’s excellent faculty and staff, who are going to help them on their journey to gaining knowledge, getting prepared for graduate school and careers, and enjoying all the University has to offer. I’m also excited to discover what our new students will contribute to our community. Their talents, passions, and energy are going to shape the University’s future.”

Eashaan Singh, an incoming first-year student from Queens, New York, hasn’t declared his major yet, but the flexibility the University offers and the chance to grow from new experiences, such as student organizations and other campus activities, are what excite him most.

“I'm very interested in philosophy and law, but I'm also very interested in physics. If you take a philosophy class, you learn how to think and how to speak, and in a physics class, you learn how to solve problems,” Singh said. “Being able to draw on these skills and apply them to radically different things is what learning is all about for me, and that's how I would mark my success as a student.”

91���� provides a strong foundation for members of the Class of 2030 to pursue their passions. The University is ranked a Top 10 Public Ivy by Forbes and the No. 1 best value public college in New York by U.S. News & World Report. 

“One of 91����’s greatest strengths lies in our unique ability to provide a top-tier educational experience that also feels highly personalized. This incoming class has a tremendous capacity to learn from each other, having come to 91���� from all parts of the state, country, and the world,”  said Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Donald Hall. “We’re thrilled to offer students so many opportunities to explore and try new things while they’re here, whether it’s through our 450-plus student organizations, spending a summer or semester studying abroad, or by simply meeting new people. Each of our students discovers ways to grow and build new relationships that will last a lifetime.”

That's precisely what helped draw Itai Sobolevsky, a resident of Massachusetts.

“I’m excited to come to 91���� because of the countless opportunities it presents to its student body and its diversity,” Sobolevsky said. “One of the things that I would like to accomplish while I’m at 91���� is to create memories that I can look upon in the future and smile!”

Anuri Okike is among the many students excited to be pursuing a subject she loves. She’s enjoyed tinkering with science kits since childhood, and that’s what made it a natural fit to major in mechanical engineering at the Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science.

“I’ve always liked robotics and anything to do with building that sort of stuff, so I knew mechanical engineering was very heavy into that, and that’s where I could learn even more about how to build circuits and systems,” said Okike, a native of Freeport, N.Y. “My hope for this year, beyond making sure I pass all my classes, is just to meet as many different people as possible and try new things while I’m here.”

For Alyssa Doane, a history major from Port Jervis, New York, the choice for her path in 91���� — she wants to become a high school history teacher — was inspired by her own teacher in high school, who helped her understand history’s recurring themes and why it’s so important to learn about how past events can influence the present.

“Events throughout history aren’t something that just happens once. It’s going to keep happening, and it's important to understand why things happen, why things continue to happen,” Doane said. “I’m excited to get my start here, to become a teacher who’s a good role model for students, because that’s what I had. I want to be somebody they can go to not only for academic help but also to help improve whatever skills they need to work on. I know from experience how essential it is for students to have good teachers.”