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STUDENTS
INTRODUCTION
This section of the Environmental Scan presents a description of the students who have
attended and currently attend SUNY Farmingdale. Data are gathered from internal
reports, surveys, government documents, and material collected by System
Administration. Descriptors include gender, ethnicity, residency, economic level,
student status, enrollment by program type, total credits enrolled at the College,
retention rates, graduation rates, and academic profile information.
Although SUNY Farmingdale is not an open admission college, for many years its
admission standards in many programs have been only gently enforced. This has not
been an entirely regrettable policy since thousands of students with weaker academic
records have been given a fresh opportunity to succeed, and many have completed
valuable two-year degree programs. Their career and personal achievements are a
reward for the entire College staff. However, the darker side of this practice comprises
a low retention rate, increased numbers of developmental classes, increased needs for
support services, a lower than average graduation rate, and a continuing false image of
the College as a two-year vocational school. Although excellence has always been
intrinsic to the educational programs at SUNY Farmingdale, raising admissions
standards is necessary for public recognition of that excellence.
Another troubling result of the campus mission, which highlights applied science and
technology programs, is a decline at Farmingdale in enrollment of female students.
While some programs are enrolled primarily by women--for example, dental hygiene
and nursing-- others, in such areas as electrical and mechanical technology, have very
few women. The College can use a two-pronged solution to this problem: encourage
and assist women to enroll in these unnecessarily male-dominated programs and
develop new programs that appeal to larger groups of women.
Finally, the growing diversity among the students at Farmingdale promises important
benefits to the College and to the metropolitan region. With a significant percentage
belonging to immigrant families, Farmingdale students can make enormous social and
economic contributions to the region for years to come. But in order for this to happen,
during their years at Farmingdale, these students must receive adequate support
services; that is, language classes, advisement and counseling, cultural activities, a
satisfying residence life, health and wellness activities, and financial assistance
packages that will enable them to succeed in higher education.
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1. STUDENT GENDER
The following spreadsheet provides total student headcount by gender and full-and
part-time status in Fall 1989, 1999, 2000, and 2001. The trend toward increasing
numbers of male students and diminishing numbers of female students is clear in the
accompanying charts.
Farmingdale Students Classified by Gender: Fall 1989, 1999, 2000, and 2001
ALL STUDENTS GENDER
FALL 1989 FALL1999 FALL 2000 FALL2001
MALE
FULL-TIME 3099 1709 1766 2027
PART-TIME 2492 1182 1060 1323
TOTAL 5591 2891 2826 3350
FEMALE
FULL-TIME 2513 1208 1243 1022
PART-TIME 2776 1052 976 1077
EN ER F D T O Y:
G D O STU EN B D
LL
FA 1989
49%
51%
MALE FEMALE
TOTAL 5289 2260 2219 2099
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G E ND E R O F S TU D E NT B O D Y:
FA LL 2001
39%
61%
M ALE FEM ALE
Gender disparity becomes even more pronounced in the newly approved and growing
four-year programs.
FOUR-YEAR COHORT
GENDER FALL 2001
MALE
FULL-TIME 779
PART-TIME 264
TOTAL 1043
FEMALE
FULL-TIME 271
PART-TIME 140
TOTAL 411
79
G E N D ER O F S TU D E N TS IN FO U R -
Y E A R P R O G R A M S : FA LL 2001
28%
72%
M ALE F E MA LE
The seeming lack of interest among female students in the available four-year
programs, as revealed in these data, implies gender limitations on overall enrollment. It
also suggests gender disparity in the distribution of public funding for higher education.
This problem is solved most easily with the addition of four-year programs more
attractive to women; but recruitment of women into existing programs that lead to
lucrative and predominantly male careers is a valuable goal as well.
2. STUDENT ETHNICITY
Diversity is emerging as a key characteristic of the Farmingdale student body. Each
year protected classes grow or diminish as a percentage of the total headcount,
resulting in a subtle but gradual evening-out of student representation among ethnic
groups between 1989 and 2001.
STUDENT ETHNICITY: FALL 1989 THROUGH FALL 2001
ALL STUDENTS ETHNICITY
ETHNIC GROUP FALL1989 FALL1999 FALL 2000 FALL 2001
NON-RESIDENT ALIEN 23 28
BLACK 1075 690 739 734
AMER. INDIAN/ALASKAN 15 16 9 9
80
ASIAN/PACIFIC ISLANDER 262 198 216 241
HISPANIC 609 460 484 526
WHITE, NON-HISPANIC 8896 3304 3172 3388
UNKNOWN 483 425 523
TOTAL 10880 5151 5045 5449
In Fall 1989 only 18% of students were members of minority groups; but by Fall 2001,
38% fell into that category, with no one minority group dominating. The vibrancy
created by such growing ethnic diversity is a strength of SUNY Farmingdale.
S T U D E N T E T H N IC IT Y : F A L
1 0 % 1 %
STUDENT ETHNICITY: FALL 1989
0%
6 2 % 0% 10% 2%
6%
N R A B L A C K
A S IA N /P A C H IS P A N IC
82%
NRA BLACK AMER,IND/ALASK
ASIAN/PAC HISPANIC WHITE, NON-HISP
81
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3. STUDENT RESIDENCY
The great majority of students attending Farmingdale have in-state residency.
Farmingdale has enrolled foreign students only inconsistently, and the number of out-
of-state students has remained small and virtually constant. Increased enrollment
among these groups can benefit the College, but is dependent upon improvement in
student life in the residence halls. The dormitory population in Fall 2001 was 426
students, or 7.8% of the student population; the remaining 92.2% of the student
population consisted of commuter students. Of these commuter students, 58% live
within a 20-mile radius of the campus, and a full 92.5% of all students are residents of
the Long Island metropolitan regionΒQueens, Nassau, and Suffolk counties.
STUDENT RESIDENCY
ALL STUDENTS RESIDENCE
RESIDENCE FALL 1989 FALL 1999 FALL 2000 FALL 2001
NEW YORK 10838 5141 5034 5405
OTHER U.S. 18 10 11 14
FOREIGN 23 0 0 28
UNKNOWN 1 0 0 2
TOTAL 10880 5151 5045 5449
The value of a large concentration of local residents among the Farmingdale student
population is their tendency to remain on Long Island after graduation, according to
limited data which the College has collected. Even with the high cost of living on Long
Island, the majority may be depended upon to contribute to regional industries in the
future.
4. ECONOMIC PROFILE
Often Farmingdale students choose to attend college on Long Island because they
cannot afford to live as residents on a campus away from home.
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Farmingdale Student Average Family Income: Fall 2001
Cohort: 3,685 of 5,449 Total Enrolled Students
Average Family Income: $53,276
Median Family Income: $50,600
Income level Percent of sample
$0 - 5,999 2.90%
6,000 - 8,999 1.90%
9,000 - 11,999 2.60%
12,000 - 14,999 2.70%
15,000 - 17,999 3.00%
18,000 - 20,999 3.10%
21,000 - 23,999 3.40%
24,000 - 26,000 4.50%
27,000 - 29,999 3.50%
30,000 - 32,999 4.30%
33,000 - 35,999 3.10%
36,000 - 38,999 2.70%
39,000 - 44,999 6.70%
45,000 - 54,999 10.00%
55,000 - 64,999 9.00%
65,000 - 74,999 9.30%
75,000 - 84,999 6.60%
85,000 - 94,999 4.60%
95,000 - 104,999 6.00%
105,000+ 8.50%
Data Source: Application Processing Center (APC) Admissions Forms
According the data presented above, 19.6% of Farmingdale students come from
families with incomes under $24,000, and 44.4% come from families with incomes
under $45,000. In Fall 1998, the median family income of $42,922 of Farmingdale
students was well below the average median family income on Long Island, which was
$54,008 in Suffolk County and $61,096 in Nassau County (Long Island Association May
2002). Additionally, past surveys reveal that over half are first generation college
students.
As a result, Farmingdale students are unable to depend on their families to pay for the
cost of their educations and must find other funding sources. They spend substantial
time working off campus. In Fall 2000, they averaged 25 hours per week on the job,
and 31% worked for a year after high school before beginning college. Besides this,
about 40%, or 2,056 students, received Federal Pell Grants averaging $2,275, and
about 30%, or 1,559 students, received New York State Tuition Assistance Program
Grants (TAP) grants averaging $1,533 (Fall 2000).
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5. STUDENT STATUS
The overall increase in full-time and part-time student headcount in all categories
except Αreturning student≅ since Fall 1999 is gratifying. It suggests that despite limited
funding, many areas of campus life exceed their goals in such areas as recruitment,
admissions, retention, and upper division courses.
ALL STUDENTS STATUS
STATUS FALL 1989 FALL 1999 FALL 2000 FALL 2001
UNKNOWN 9
FIRST-TIME 4034 1438 1478 1616
TRANSFER 199 327 433 460
CONTINUING 5569 2962 2741 3016
RETURNING 1069 424 393 357
TOTAL 10880 5151 5045 5449
6. ENROLLMENT BY PROGRAM TYPE
Classification of all students by program reveals an across-the-board percentage
increase in students enrolled in degree programs and an accompanying decline in the
percentage of non-matriculated students and students in certificate programs.
CHANGES IN STUDENT COMPOSITION BY PROGRAM TYPE: 1989, 1999, 2000, 2001
ALL STUDENTS FALL 1989 FALL 1999 FALL 2000 FALL 2001
PROGRAM
DIPLOMA/CERT 496 136 135 155
ASSOCIATE 6018 2796 2590 2735
BACHELOR 206 977 1194 1454
NOT IN A PROGRAM 4160 1242 1126 1105
TOTAL 10880 5151 5045 5449
Most encouraging is the enrollment in bachelor=s degree programs, which shows the
following notable increases:
Fall 1999 to Fall 2000: 22.2% (+217)
Fall 2000 to Fall 2001: 21.8% (+260)
Such increases result in the following ratios of bachelor degree students / total
students:
Bachelor / Total
85
Fall 1999: 977 / 5151 = 19.0%
Fall 2001: 1454 / 5449 = 26.7%
7. TOTAL CREDITS ENROLLED
Total Credits Enrolled shows a disappointing total of upper division credit hours
enrolled, probably because many students enrolled in newly created bachelor=s degree
programs have not yet completed lower division courses. In Fall 2001 only 11.2% of
Total Credits Enrolled were in upper division courses labeled 300 or 400, not
appreciably greater than the 9.0% of Fall 1999.
TOTAL CREDITS ENROLLED BY ALL STUDENTS
TOTAL CREDITS ENROLLED
COURSES FALL 1989 FALL 1999 FALL 2000 FALL 2001
LOWER DIVISION
F/T STUDENTS 73745 38,616 39,129 42,358
P/T STUDENTS 26161 10,938 9,997 10,222
TOTAL 99906 49,554 49,126 52,580
UPPER DIVISION
F/T STUDENTS 1116 3,553 3,878 5,085
P/T STUDENTS 851 1,341 1,371 1,529
TOTAL 1967 4,894 5,249 6,614
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8. RETENTION
The retention rate at SUNY Farmingdale, as defined by System Administration (and the
federal government) does not sustain arguments either that students do or do not
remain at Farmingdale. This is because the identified cohort includes only new
freshman full-time students who are enrolled in programsΒso-called first-time full-time
(F/T F/T) students. No transfer, returning, part-time, or non-matriculated students are
among the sample group; therefore their presence on campus is not tracked by System
Administration.
RETENTION OF FIRST-TIME FULL-TIME STUDENTS
Of 1005 F/T F/T students enrolled in Fall 2000, 587 remained in the Fall 2001 semester
in the same or different curricula at Farmingdale. Among students enrolled in
bachelor=s degree programs in Fall 2000, the rate of retention after a year is 68.5%.
Unfortunately, retention rates cannot easily be compared to those at other state
operated campuses because SUNY does not publish such data.
RETENTION OF FALL 2000 F/T F/T COHORT:
SPRING 2000, FALL 2001
FALL 2000 SPRING 2000 FALL 2001
TOTAL FT/FT ENROLLED IN SAME 700 ENROLLED IN SAME 404
STUDENTS CURRICULUM CURRICULUM
ENROLLED IN DIFF 99 ENROLLED IN DIFF. 183
CURRICULUM CURRICULUM
799 587
1005
PERCENT RETAINED 79.50% PERCENT RETAINED 58.40%
9. GRADUATION RATES
Expeditious completion of a two-year degree program is defined by the federal
government as requiring three years for completion of a two-year degree program and
six years for completion of a four-year degree program. Most of the degree programs
at Farmingdale have not existed for six years, so a graduation rate cannot yet be
determined. Completion of two-year degree programs within three years is achieved by
26.0% of F/T F/T Farmingdale students.
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10. STUDENT ACADEMIC PROFILE
Like retention rates, academic profiles are maintained only for first-time full-time
students in SUNY. The data on the following page are norms describing first-time full-
time students entering Farmingdale from Fall 1997 through Fall 2001:
The following list provides explanations of the 10 descriptive criteria presented on the
following page:
1. The high school average reflects the four-year overall high school grade average
of all courses, which may or may not have been weighted.
2. The high school percentile rank is the rank of students at graduation.
3. The average SAT math score may be compared to the Fall 2001 national
average for all college-bound high school seniors of 514.
4. The average SAT verbal score may be compared to the Fall 2001 national
average for all college-bound high school seniors of 506.
5. The Algebra Placement Test is taken by nearly all FT/FT Farmingdale students
in order to determine placement in mathematics courses. The Fall 2001
semester is the first in which nearly all F/T F/T incoming students took the test.
6. The College Math Test is given to incoming freshmen who score above 85 on
the Algebra Placement Test described above. As a result, only slightly more
than one in five incoming F/T F/T students take this test.
7. Nearly all incoming F/T F/T students take the Writing Placement Test, an
objective multiple choice test that determines student placement in either
Composition: Rhetoric EGL 101 or Developmental English EGL 097, a
preparatory course that concludes with an exit exam which students must pass
in order to continue to EGL 101.
8. Students who score below 85 on the Writing Placement Test must take the
locally developed Essay Placement Test, which is scored holistically on a scale
of 1 to 6 by two faculty members. A combined score below 8 places students in
EGL 097. Fewer than one in five F/T F/T students, those with weaker writing
skills, complete this exam.
9. Most F/T F/T students carry a full-time course load well over the minimum 12
credits.
10. The age of incoming students is slightly above average.
FIRST-TIME FULL-TIME ACADEMIC STUDENT PROFILE: 1997-2001
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TERM:
CHARACTERISTIC FALL 1997 FALL 1998 FALL 1999 FALL 2000 FALL 2001
1 HIGH SCHOOL AVERAGE 78.4 78.7 79.7 80.3 80.1
SAMPLE SIZE [731] [690] [625] [649] [850]
2 HIGH SCHOOL PERCENTILE RANK 45.8 45.8 49.2 48.6 48.9
SAMPLE SIZE [651] [608] [557] [517] [679]
3 SAT MATH SCORE 456.9 431.4 461.2 466.7 462
SAMPLE SIZE [114] [134] [314] [427] [701]
4 SAT VERBAL SCORE 439.3 431.3 447.7 453.4 452.9
SAMPLE SIZE [114] [134] [314] [427] [701]
5 ALGEBRA PLACEMENT TEST SCORE 60.1 58.5 59.8 63.2 65.2
SAMPLE SIZE [894] [945] [821] [844] [1011]
6 COLLEGE MATH PLACEMENT TEST SCORE 47.5 49.3 50.8 49.6 47.7
SAMPLE SIZE [156] [120] [130] [191] [235]
7 WRITING PLACEMENT TEST SCORE 80.3 81.2 83.2 84.9 85.5
SAMPLE SIZE [907] [949] [829] [859] [1007]
8 ESSAY PLACEMENT TEST SCORE 6.49 6.56 6.26 6.34 6.74
SAMPLE SIZE [384] [321] [195] [156] [185]
9 CREDIT LOAD 14.96 14.85 14.65 14.35 14.02
SAMPLE SIZE [995] [1042] [944] [1005] [1125]
10 AGE 19.1 19.6 19.1 19.1 19.1
SAMPLE SIZE . [995] [1042] [944] [1005] [1125]
TOTAL HEADCOUNT 995 1042 944 1005 1125
Note: The sample size, given in brackets, is the number of students within the entire
group of first-time full-time students for which data are available in each category in
each of the five years. The sample equals the total cohort only in items 9 and 10.
ANALYSIS
Although high school grades and SAT scores lie below the national average for college-
bound students, scores show improvement over the five-year period. More notably, the
percentage of first-time full-time students entering Farmingdale who provide SAT
scores has increased dramatically from 11.5% in Fall 1997 to 62.3% in Fall 2001. Such
an imposition of testing is a necessary first step to improved scores. Algebra and
Writing Placement Test scores have improved during this five-year period, even as they
are becoming mandatory. The gradual raising of admission standards has been a
stated goal of the College during this period, and to a limited extent, it has been
realized.
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