Capital District Times

Rensselaer County's four universities admitted an estimated 65.8% of applicants for fall 2022, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Of those who were admitted, 18.1% enrolled.

Of the four institutions in the county, three provided detailed enrollment data at the time, including Samaritan Hospital School of Nursing, Russell Sage College and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

At least 18,602 people applied to Rensselaer County colleges in the 2022-23 school year.

NCES data shows that among them, around 18,394 students enrolled in the universities, including 16,292 in undergraduate and 2,102 in graduate programs. Only 4.5% of undergraduates transferred from another college or university.

The reported undergraduate student body is comprised mostly of white (57.8%) and Asian (11.7%) students.

Among the institutions that provided disclosed enrollment data, Hudson Valley Community College stood out with the largest enrollment at the time, welcoming 9,140 students.

U.S. college enrollment has been in a downward trend since peaking at around 18.1 million students in 2010. Recent increases offered some relief, but experts project a steeper decline in 2025.

This decline is likely due to two main factors. First, the pool of young adults is shrinking as birth rates have fallen nearly 23% between 2007 and 2022. Second, the rising cost of higher education, including skyrocketing student loan debt. A 2023 Wall Street Journal report shows that more than half of Americans think a four-year degree is not worth the cost.

Some educational data is based on estimates. Shifting demographics among student populations can sometimes result in gender totals which do not equal 100%.

Institution	# of Applicants	# of Admitted Students	Total Enrollment
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute	16,863	10,961	6,968
Samaritan Hospital School of Nursing	2	2	127
Hudson Valley Community College	--	--	9,140
Russell Sage College	1,737	1,285	2,159