During her 2024 State of the State address, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul trumpeted the idea of granting high school seniors in the top 10 percent of their class automatic admission to top State University of New York (SUNY) schools.
Weeks later, questions remain on how and when this initiative would be implemented, if it could include merit-based aid, and whether it is realistic, ethical, and legal.
The Democratic governor’s proposal comes at a time when enrollment at most SUNY campuses decreased sharply in the past decade despite the onset of the Excelsior scholarship program for low- and middle-income families.
Moreover, several public campuses across the state—Fredonia, Potsdam, Buffalo State, and Clinton Community College—are facing deep budget cuts. In addition, competition between public and private higher education in the Empire State remains fierce, with enrollment numbers almost evenly split.
Ms. Hochul’s proposal follows the 2023 Supreme Court decision prohibiting affirmative action—consideration based on race—in college admissions. It also comes at a time when high schools have stopped ranking graduating seniors.
Many colleges and universities, meanwhile, no longer require Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores.
“These steps will both increase equity for students and retain the best and brightest within New York State and its higher education institutions,” Ms. Hochul said of her top 10 percent proposal during the Jan. 9 State of the State address.
College and university enrollment in the United States has decreased by about 1.5 million students, or 7.4 percent, in the past decade, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.
Much of the decline can be attributed to lower birthrates and population shifts from the Northeast to areas such as the Southeast, where there are fewer higher education institutions.
In New York, private schools across the state also have felt the impact in the past two years, leading to the closures of Cazenovia College, Medaille University, and the College of Saint Rose.
Of the 64 SUNY schools, which include community colleges, four-year schools, the four university centers, and SUNY Upstate and Downstate medical centers, all but six declined in enrollment between 2012 and 2022, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
These figures don’t include CUNY campuses in New York City.
Enrollment Up in Some Schools
By contrast, SUNY Binghamton, considered the most competitive SUNY school with an estimated 42 percent acceptance rate, reported an increase in the same period. The university centers at Buffalo and Stony Brook also saw enrollment increases, as did undergraduate schools Farmingdale and SUNY Polytechnic Institute in Utica, and SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University.The Excelsior scholarship program served 31,867 full-time SUNY and CUNY students in the 2019-2020 academic year and 29,000 students last year, according to the New York State Higher Education Services Corporation.
For the 2024-2025 academic year, families who earn less than $125,000 are eligible for up to $5,500 per year.
When the program was approved in 2017, then Gov. Andrew Cuomo predicted that 940,000 families in New York State with college-aged children would qualify for Excelsior scholarships, according to a 2019 report from the Empire Center, “Excelsior Illusion: Getting Real About ‘Free’ College in NY.”
In New York State, about 44 percent of post-secondary students—nearly 500,000—are enrolled in private colleges and universities, according to the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities in New York.
While SUNY charges for tuition, room, and board, and the total cost comes in at about $23,000-$28,000 for state residents, private colleges and universities have much higher sticker prices—$40,000 to nearly $90,000 per year.
But the “net price,” or what students actually pay, can vary drastically across private higher education.
Even with Excelsior, the New York State Tuition Assistance Program (TAP), a limited number of merit-based scholarships, and other financial aid opportunities, top SUNY schools cannot beat the best deals offered by the most endowment-wealthy private schools in New York State.
At Cornell University, the total net price for students from household incomes of $30,000 or less was $4,375 in 2022. For incomes between $75,001 and $110,000, it was $20,728, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
At fellow Ivy League school Columbia University, the net price for those two income brackets was $6,184 and $15,114. And at Vassar College, it was $11,594 and $24,522.
By contrast, the 2022 net price at SUNY Binghamton University was $13,150 and $23,313, respectively.
Andre Torres, director of guidance at Manhattan Bridge High School and vice president of the New York State School Counseling Association, said that even though most of his students are from low-income households, very few have considered public colleges and universities.
The main reason: Excelsior, TAP, and federal Pell grants did not come close to covering the high costs of SUNY room and board.
High-achieving graduates got better deals at Cornell, Syracuse University, New York University, Fordham, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Vassar, Bard, and any number of private schools outside the Empire State.
“Students who were accepted to private schools were given very supportive financial packages even if there was an ‘out-of-pocket’ cost of a few thousand. I feel that the cost of dorms at SUNY colleges has become a hindrance for many New York City students,” said Mr. Torres, adding that a student who graduated fourth in his class last year chose New York University over three SUNY universities despite receiving an Excelsior scholarship.
“The Governor’s proposal seems very enticing and rewarding for our top students but the logistics, requirements, available major capacity, and how are students selected for their top choice are just a few questions that I have,” he added.
Chinese Group Claims Bias
Gov. Hochul’s announcement sparked the ire of the Chinese American Citizens Alliance Greater New York. In a Feb. 6 article posted on the group’s website, CACAGNY President Phil Wong said the measure discriminates against Asian Americans.They tend to congregate in a small number of high schools where even lower-ranking students still outperform their peers in the top 10 percent at other schools across the state, he said.
Mr. Wong alleges that the governor’s proposal is in response to the landmark 2023 Supreme Court decision that prohibits consideration of race in the college admissions process.
“Top percent plans are implemented to carry out illegal racial balancing without getting caught,” Wong wrote.
“Gov. Hochul’s scheme will—by design—devastate Asian American applicants by giving priority to weaker applicants from the rest of the state.”
The State University of New York and Gov. Hochul’s press office did not respond to the Epoch Times’ requests for comments.
