As Baruch College’s undergraduate population increases, the number of seats and courses offered should expand as well. With the current number of seats and classes, students find themselves desperately racing to get their required classes before they fill up.
According to the Office of Applied Research, Evaluation, and Data Analytics, 16,496 undergraduate students were enrolled in Baruch as of fall 2024. This number included 2,523 first-time freshmen and 1,641 transfer students.
The fall 2024 undergraduate headcount exceeded fall 2023’s headcount of 16,086. According to Baruch’s Enrollment Management & Strategic Academic Initiatives group, Baruch received an all-time high of 28,135 applications with an acceptance rate of 47.6% and a 19% yield rate.
The number of full-time faculty has grown as well. “We have increased our full-time faculty headcount by 13% since 2021,” Dr. Linda Essig, Baruch’s Provost, said in April 2024. “In 2021, Baruch’s faculty body included 503 full-time faculty members; by the current year, that number has grown to 569 full-time faculty.”
Enrollment Management & Strategic Academic Initiatives stated they aimed to stabilize the size of the undergraduate population to fewer than or equal to 16,000 by 2028. However, the school should accommodate the current number of students.
The increased number of students contributes to the often-discussed topic of overcrowding at Baruch. Students have expressed their frustration with the increase in enrollment and lack of classes available on Baruch’s subreddit.
“I’m a senior and graduating this summer but I still need to take 6 credits to finish. My enrollment opens tomorrow but I just saw that the class I really need is already full and closed. I feel so frustrated and helpless right now,” u/EveryGolf4107 wrote on Reddit.
The lack of classes available for the increasing number of students adds onto scheduling stress, particularly in small and mandatory classes like COM 3021, where classes get filled up quickly every semester.
Additionally, students say there is a lack of available options for higher-level courses, resulting in having to take professors and classes they are not interested in.
Classes are not the only concern when it comes to an increased student population. Services such as the writing center and the counseling center may not have enough time slots for students. Club events and fairs do not have enough space to accommodate all interested attendees. Baruch should take action to increase course offerings and third spaces on campus.
Baruch could offer classes with appropriate seating numbers or add more seating areas to the school. Baruch could also hire more staff to accommodate students’ needs and interests. These all require more funding.
