High school students graduating from outside New York City in the coming days will be automatically accepted to their local university as public higher education officials look to boost college and university enrollment.
Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the plan Thursday that was initially outlined this week by State University of New York Chancellor John King during his State of the University address this week.
“Access to quality higher education is a driver for social mobility, and we are taking comprehensive steps to ensure that college is affordable and accessible to students of all backgrounds,” Hochul said. “My administration remains committed to removing barriers and making the path to higher education easier for all high school students, lifting students up to build a brighter future for themselves and New York.”
Letters will be sent to 125,000 graduating students in New York in the coming days. The City University of New York in early May announced that it will send personalized letters to 65,000 graduating seniors as well to inform them of their acceptance into the system.
New York and Hochul lawmakers in May agreed to a budget that increased operating aid to New York’s public colleges and universities by more than $1.3 billion, an allocation that also reversed a proposed tuition increase for students in the state originally proposed by Hochul.
SUNY officials have tried to emphasize how an undergraduate or graduate degree can be beneficial throughout life.
“There’s a place for every New Yorker at SUNY, and we’re excited to make college an easy decision so our high school students and their parents understand their options,” King said. “High-demand jobs increasingly require a college education, and thanks to New York’s generous financial aid offerings, SUNY is an extraordinary value proposition.”
