VESTAL, N.Y. -- Binghamton University's school year hasn't started yet, but if you step on campus, already, there are tours for potential freshmen in 2017.
"I think it's the reputation that Binghamton has for academic excellence combined with really good value," said Binghamton University Provost and Academic Affairs Executive Director Donald Neiman.
"I think a lot of people who are coming to visit Binghamton definitely know it's well renowned for its academics," said incoming graduate student William Ferrante. "It's nice that when they come to Binghatmon, they see a lot of new facilities and get to experience the whole student life aspect."
This year, Binghamton University broke its own record for freshman applicants with 32,000.
"Our student enrollment has grown close to 20 percent over the last five years," Neiman said. "We've been able to do that at a time when high school graduates in New York and other parts of the Northeast are declining, and we've been able to do it while increasing the academic quality."
This year's freshman class has an average high school GPA of 95 and SAT score of 1300. It's not just an increase in freshman applications, as more graduate students are applying.
"We've been working really hard to recruit graduate students. And as the undergraduate level [does], we have a lot of very attractive programs," said Neiman.
By attracting more students, the university hopes it will also boost the local economy.
"It's enormous for the community," Neiman said. "The growth of the university also entails growth in research that our faculty are doing. A lot of that research is tied into economic development possibilities for the community."
"I think Binghamton University is one of the driving forces behind what's happening in Binghamton itself, in the surrounding area. Living downtown and actually doing stuff downtown, I've seen that," said student Jeffrey Bagg.