Welcome!
Over the past decade, the number of applications to the freshmen class at SUNY New Paltz has risen steadily. At the same time, our college administration has held fast on enrolling an entering freshmen class of 900-1000 students. As a consequence, admission to New Paltz has become increasingly selective. For fall 2007, New Paltz once again led all SUNY university colleges in total applications received, with 12,436 for our freshmen class and 3,003 for our transfer class.

The decisions that our freshmen admission staff have to make are difficult ones. We have attempted to maintain the personalization that each applicant deserves in our application review; with nearly 90% of our applicants meeting our basic admission criteria, this means carefully looking beyond the numbers at each and every applicant.

The Basics

• The quality of the high school program taken from 9th to 12th grades
• The level of achievement in that program of study;
• The results of either the SAT or ACT exams.

The Basic Details

The quality of the high school program is paramount. We expect our applicants to have taken the traditional college preparatory program which has included substantial work in each of the "five solids" – English (4 units), social studies/history (4 units), science (3-4 units), foreign language (one language, 2-4 units), and mathematics (3-4 units). Honors, Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate or college level courses will enhance the strength of the student’s program.

The level of achievement in the program is equally as important. We look at the student's academic progress not only as a whole at the conclusion of the junior year, but we also view the results of each individual year of study to see the trend the student has followed. Senior year does count! A strong senior year program with strong achievement can have positive results.

The SAT or ACT is a required part of the application. Either test is fully acceptable. For the immediate future, we will continue to only use the Critical Reading and Mathematics sections of the SAT and we will continue to "split" scores, using the best Critical Reading and best Mathematics score from all test sessions.

These three factors taken together provide our admission staff with the start-off point in the review of an application. For about 75% of our applicants this basic information will result in a clear decision of acceptance or denial. For the remaining 25%, our staff will request additional information, typically mid-year grades and new SAT/ACT scores. We will request these directly from the applicant.

Supplemental Information

We do not require or send a supplemental or part-two application.

We do, however, strongly encourage each applicant to provide us with whatever supplemental information they feel is important to share. This can include, but not be limited to, letters of recommendation, personal essay, and a resume of school/community activities, honors, awards, and leadership positions.

Who will succeed at New Paltz?
A student who has the traditional college preparatory program, including a solid and substantially challenging senior year, will be able to meet the expectations our faculty have set forth for them. Our General Education program requires a strong grasp of mathematics, laboratory science, and foreign language in addition to equally strong competencies in English (composition) and social studies.

Seeking a challenge and then activity pursuing it is important. Our faculty expect our students to run the minute they arrive in class. Having that kind of experience in high school will bode well for future collegiate success.

A student who is looking for more than just the usual; who is looking to have an enhanced undergraduate education that will take him/her in a variety of directions and opportunities after graduation. A student who isn't afraid to tackle another major, an internship, international study, community service. . .sometimes during the same college career. That's the mark of a New Paltz student.

Helpful Hints

• Call us. We're busy but we promise we'll get back to you within 48 hours.
• We use the SUNY Application.
• Supportive material should be sent directly to our office, not to ASC.
• We do not use a part two or supplemental application. If students wish to tell us about themselves, they are strongly encouraged to send a resume of their school/community activities, honors, awards., etc.
• If we request additional information, such as first quarter grades or the senior SAT, we send the request directly to the student, not to the guidance office. We feel it is the student's responsibility to follow through.

What the Class of 2007 Looks Like
Applications: 12,436
Acceptances: 4,491 (36%)
Target: 950-1000
Enrolled: 942

Non-EOP

High School Average	Accepted	Enrolled
95-100	13.8%	10.5%
90-95	40.9%	40.6%
85-90	39.0%	42.6%
80-85	6.1%	6.0%
Under 80	0.2%	0.3%

Mean High School Average	Accepted	Enrolled
	90.6	90.3

Combined SAT	Accepted	Enrolled
1400-1599	1.9%	1%
1300-1399	8.9%	5%
1200-1299	25.6%	21.4%
1100-1199	38.8%	45.2%
1000-1099	23.1%	26.8%
900-999	1.6%	0.6%
Mean Combined SAT	Accepted	Enrolled
	1170	1160

ALL

Ethnic Diversity	Accepted	Enrolled
African-American	5.4%	7.5%
Latino	10.6%	10.1%
Asian/Pacific	6.7%	4.3%
Native American	0.2%	0.4%
Unreported	19.6%	17.9%
Other	1%	0.9%

Male/Female Ratio	Accepted	Enrolled
	37%/63%	35%/65%

Where We Come From	Accepted	Enrolled
Capital District	4.0%	3.4%
Hudson Valley	9.6%	15.9%
Long Island	31.2%	28.6%
New York City	26.1%	23.5%
Rest of New York	10.7%	11.3%
Northern Suburbs	10.3%	10.3%
Out of State	7.2%	6.0%
International	0.9%	0.8%