Oneida Times

Oneida County's six universities admitted an estimated 39% of applicants for fall 2022, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Of those who were admitted, 20.8% enrolled.

Of the six institutions in the county, five provided detailed enrollment data at the time, including Saint Elizabeth College of Nursing, Hamilton College and Madison Oneida BOCES-Practical Nursing Program.

At least 16,196 people applied to Oneida County colleges in the 2022-23 school year.

NCES data shows that among them, around 14,527 students enrolled in the universities, including 12,484 in undergraduate and 2,043 in graduate programs. Only 4.9% of undergraduates transferred from another college or university.

The reported undergraduate student body is comprised mostly of white (68.3%) and Hispanic (9.3%) students.

Among the institutions that provided disclosed enrollment data, Mohawk Valley Community College stood out with the largest enrollment at the time, welcoming 5,539 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
Madison Oneida BOCES-Practical Nursing Program	9	7	72
Utica University	3,367	2,727	3,861
SUNY Polytechnic Institute	2,919	2,394	2,842
Hamilton College	9,899	1,188	2,072
Saint Elizabeth College of Nursing	2	2	141
Mohawk Valley Community College	--	--	5,539