CANTON — SUNY Canton's enrollment has hit an all-time high, up more than 50 percent in just 13 years.

In 1995, the college had fewer than 2,000 students. This year, enrollment has topped 3,000 and continues to rise as international and online students continue to sign up for classes.

"I don't think there are many other colleges in New York state that you can find that have had growth like that," President Joseph L. Kennedy said. "We've been lucky to some extent, but I think you get lucky when you work hard."

SUNY Canton's previous enrollment record was 2,833, in 1975-76. Last year, it reached 2,776. The college is on track to top 3,100 students in 2008-09, Mr. Kennedy said.

Numbers are up across all categories, including the freshmen, transfer, returning and international students. Meanwhile, the college is getting more selective, Mr. Kennedy said.

"We're not your grandfather's college anymore," he said. "A lot of things are coming together. With this substantial increase in enrollment, we're going from being a tired two-year college to a place where you can walk around and see a very vibrant institution right now."

The college's four residence halls are full to "bursting," Mr. Kennedy said, and officials hope to construct another dormitory by 2010 to meet rising demand for on-campus housing.

SUNY Canton's 15 four-year degrees have attracted more and more students, many of which are targeted at up-and-coming fields. Popular new majors include forensic science, graphic and multimedia design, alternative and renewable energy and emergency management.

"These are jobs that are just exploding nationally. For those careers and opportunities that are in demand, these majors have served us well," said college spokesman Randy B. Sieminski.

The college is on track to unveil five or six more bachelor's degree programs next year, including sports management and nursing, Mr. Kennedy said.

In addition to academic programs, the Canton College Foundation's funds have increased substantially — which means there are more scholarships available for students.

Jonathan D. Kent, the college's director of admissions, said that while more and more high schools are arranging trips to visit campus from as far away as Saratoga, transfer students are also more interested. SUNY Canton's transfer counselor spent the last two months straight evaluating applications — the first time it has ever taken that long, he said.

"We're a diamond in the rough, in the sense that we have solid programs that have been established for years, but we're not static," Mr. Kent said. "People travel long distances for unique majors."

SUNY Canton placed its first full-time admissions counselor in New York City this year, and arranged two bus trips for students to see campus. And while the college is increasing its numbers of international students through online courses, there's still a solid pool of north country graduates who choose to attend, Mr. Kent said.

Mr. Kennedy did say that he is worried about the effect further state budget cuts could have on the college's growth. For now, officials have set aside money in a reserve fund, which will help SUNY Canton weather the difficult budgetary climate for the next year or two.

"You've got to give the governor credit for saying out loud that we don't have enough money to run the state," Mr. Kennedy said. "Something needs to turn around in the next two years or there'll be a lot of stress at all of the colleges."

Even so, having more students than ever will help the college's bottom line, he said, adding that he thinks a statewide SUNY tuition increase is more than overdue.