BINGHAMTON, NY -- Binghamton University welcomes returning and new students and their families on Aug. 30 and 31, with move-in days signifying the beginning of the fall semester and a new academic year.

Approximately 2,570 freshmen, 1,190 transfer students and 1,000 new graduate students will join the Binghamton University community this year. Returning students will begin arriving on Friday. Classes for all of Binghamton’s 15,400 students begin Tuesday, Sept. 4.

“This is an exciting time to be at Binghamton University,” said President Harvey Stenger. “We are in the midst of increasing our student body and hiring new faculty, thanks to the NYSUNY2020 initiative. But our growth goes beyond size and numbers. It‘s about the breadth of the educational experience it allows us to offer. Binghamton University continues to be a place where the best students in the nation—and the world—come to learn from the best professors and I am looking forward to helping the Class of 2016 develop into intellectually active, socially involved and wildly successful adults.”

The University received over 28,140 freshmen and 4,900 transfer student applications.  With average high school GPAs of 94 and an SAT scores of 1930, the Class of 2016 is one of the most impressive in University history.

“Every year, Binghamton University attracts some of the most talented students from across the nation and around the world,” said Sandra Starke, vice provost for enrollment management. “This year is no exception. Binghamton, with its reputation for value and excellence, saw over 33,000 applications this year, resulting in a class that is one of the most accomplished we’ve seen. Students in the Class of 2016 have strong backgrounds in biology and math, served as leaders in their schools and demonstrated a strong commitment to public service. Their contributions will greatly enhance the intellectual, cultural and social vibrancy of our campus community.”

In the Graduate School, nearly 4,500 applicants indicates high demand for Binghamton University master’s and doctoral programs, which include accounting, business administration, clinical psychology, computer science, engineering, nursing, and social work.

Nancy Stamp, dean of the Graduate School, explained, “People realize that a bachelor’s degree is no longer enough as a path to a successful career. A graduate degree provides knowledge and skills that translate into an annual salary that is $10,000 or more than the bachelor’s, which really adds up over a lifetime.”

Nearly 1,200 transfer students will join the Binghamton University community this fall, with approximately 165 or 13 percent hailing from Broome Community College (BCC). An additional 45 students have signed up for the Binghamton Advantage program, a joint admission program that allows students to attend BCC while living on the Binghamton University campus. The mean GPA for entering transfers is 3.4.

Binghamton again expects a large number of new international students to join the campus community this fall. The over 400 incoming undergraduate international students represent over 55 countries, with the greatest population coming from China, South Korea, India, Vietnam, United Kingdom and Turkey.

Geographically, the incoming class closely reflects the distribution of New York state’s population with about 7 percent of the new undergraduate class coming from Broome and Tioga counties, 27 percent from upstate New York, 23 percent from Long Island and 18 percent from New York City.