New York students have been spared tuition increases at the state’s public college and university systems in next year’s state budget.
State lawmakers shut down a proposal by Gov. Hochul that would have authorized hikes at the State University of New York and City University of New York, and opted instead to boost state aid to increase revenue.
The plan includes $1.38 billion in SUNY operating funds, which is $178 million more than last year, and $821.4 million in CUNY operating funds, an increase of $103 million.
“This year, as always, we fought to ensure that tuition remains as it is today,” Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said Tuesday, “and that our SUNY and CUNY schools have a multiyear commitment of funding that is necessary to continue delivering a world class education to students.”
Another $3 billion will go toward capital projects across both systems to fix crumbling infrastructure on some campuses. Hochul also established a state matching fund for endowment contributions, with the aim of providing long-term funding for the state’s top universities in Buffalo, Stony Brook, Binghamton and Albany.
Language in the budget bills did, however, authorize tuition hikes for students from outside New York for the next three years to rates competitive with peer institutions.
It was not immediately clear if such increases will impact enrollment, as both systems are already seeing fewer students. Roughly 10% of SUNY students were from out-of-state or abroad last school year, state data show.
The average in-state tuition and fees at New York’s four-year colleges and universities is currently $8,556, the lowest of all but seven states, according to the governor’s office. Tuition in both systems have been frozen since at least the beginning of the pandemic.
“I am pleased we were able to secure the largest increases in operating and capital aid for SUNY and CUNY campuses in recent memory and avoid tuition increases,” said Assemblywoman Patricia Fahy,…
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