Dive Brief:
- Fall 2024 enrollment at the State University of New York system increased 2.3% year over year to some 376,000 students, marking the second consecutive year of headcount gains following a decade of losses.
- First-year undergraduate enrollment rose 0.9%, according to the system. That stands in contrast to a 5% decline in first-year enrollment nationwide, according to preliminary data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, though figures won’t be finalized until January.
- Students belonging to underrepresented racial and ethnic groups made up 36.5% of SUNY systemwide enrollment in fall 2024, up slightly from 35.7% the year before. Pell Grant recipients also rose to 49.7% of the system’s student population during that time, up from 46.7%.
Dive Insight:
In 2022, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul set a target of raising the system’s enrollment to 500,000 students by an unspecified date — a goal that is still a long way off.
In a statement Wednesday, Hochul connected the recent enrollment increases to state initiatives aimed at recruiting more students and lowering their financial hurdles for attendance.
In June 2023, for example, SUNY established a direct admissions program and told some 125,000 graduating New York high school students via letter that they had already been accepted to their local community colleges.
That fall, SUNY recorded a 1.1% increase in overall enrollment year over year — its first headcount gain in a decade. Community colleges saw a 1.8% bump, rising to some 162,000 students.
Those gains have continued into fall 2024. The system’s 30 community colleges enjoyed a 1.9% annual headcount increase, collectively enrolling some 165,000 students.
Meanwhile, enrollment at the system’s 29 state-operated institutions — which include universities and technology colleges — jumped 2.7% in fall 2024 compared with the year before. They collectively enroll nearly 211,000 students.
State lawmakers have recently pursued another wave of initiatives aimed at boosting student enrollment. New York’s fiscal 2025 budget, for instance, requires high school seniors to either complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or sign a waiver.
And last month, Hochul announced a guaranteed admission program for state high school students who graduate in the top 10% of their class. Those students will be automatically accepted into at least one of nine participating SUNY campuses. Stony Brook University and University at Buffalo, New York’s two flagship institutions, are among the participating colleges.
Wednesday’s announcement also highlighted recent state funding increases.
Under the fiscal year 2025 budget, state lawmakers increased funding for SUNY’s state-operated institutions by $150 million. The budget also provided $1.1 billion to fund new capital projects at SUNY’s state-operated colleges and at four-year colleges within the City University of New York system.