Applications for first-year students to attend Syracuse University have been on the rise for about a decade. With the rise in applications comes a rise in enrollment at SU.

In fall 2010, SU overenrolled the target number of first-year students. The target number was 3,300 students and the university enrolled 3,467 students. For fall 2011, the goal was 3,350 students. The school enrolled 3,750 freshmen, according to figures from SU’s Office of Institutional Research and Assessment website. For fall 2012, the enrollment goal is 3,375.

The university was forced to house students in hotels as a response to the higher than anticipated enrollment for this academic year. University officials said they will not house students in hotels in the fall.

The university must be extra vigilant to make sure it hits the target enrollment this year without going over the expected enrollment number. The point of having a target enrollment is diminished when the university continues to go over the number.

For current and incoming students, there are many benefits to accepting and enrolling fewer students. The residence halls, classrooms and public facilities are less crowded and can be utilized better when there are less students on campus. Students can receive more individualized attention from teachers. The selectivity of the school, which is factored into national rankings, goes up when fewer students are accepted and enrolled.

Though the reasons are varied for more students applying to SU, the university can only stretch its resources so thin. By accepting fewer students, the resources can be more evenly distributed to the students who attend SU.