Buffalo State welcomed 1,293 undergraduate freshmen for the start of the 2025–2026 academic year, up 3.7% from the previous year, which positioned the university to have among the largest incoming freshman classes in the four-year SUNY University College (formerly Comprehensive) sector.
Buffalo State’s total enrollment this academic year was 6,095 students, with 5,195 undergraduate and 900 graduate students.
Buffalo State’s retention rate from its fall 2024 class was 65.5%, an increase of 7.8 percentage points from the previous year. That improvement in first-year retention rate is 16.2 percentage points greater than three years ago. Retention rate measures the students who return in a subsequent academic term, in this case on a fall-to-fall basis for first-year students.
Buffalo State also experienced a significant increase in residential students. The total number of on-campus residents for 2025–2026 was 1,962 students, an increase of 3.6% from a year ago and the highest level since fall 2020. Additionally, the retention rate for residential students improved to 65.1%, up 20.6 percentage points from three years ago.
Buffalo State received a record-breaking 27,000-plus applications for fall 2025—the largest in the university’s history, fueled in part by Buffalo State’s participation in Common App's Direct Admissions Program, an innovative initiative that lowers barriers for students, especially those from underserved communities, and encourages more students to pursue higher education.
Other notable enrollment trends:
• Buffalo State’s ACE program nearly doubled in size from last year, with 387 students this past fall, a remarkable milestone for this proven driver of student success in SUNY that provides wraparound support to ensure academic success, retention, and on-time graduation.
• Roar 2 Success, which recently expanded to a two-year program, allowing it to both extend its longevity and provide greater levels of support, increased its retention rate to 65.5%, up 18.7 percentage points from a year ago.
• Buffalo State’s Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) grew to 385 students, also showing significant retention rate gains with an increase of 12.1 percentage points from a year ago to 71.9%.
• The Muriel A. Howard Honors Program enrolled the third-largest incoming class in its history with 659 students.