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New York SUNY Top 10% Promise Program
Briefing Document: New York State's Top 10% Promise Program for SUNY Direct Admission
Date: October 26, 2024
New York Governor Kathy Hochul has announced the "Top 10% Promise" program, a new initiative that will grant direct admission to high school seniors in the top 10% of their graduating class to nine select State University of New York (SUNY) schools, including Stony Brook University.
This program aims to reduce barriers to higher education, increase accessibility and affordability, particularly for students from low-income and diverse backgrounds, and encourage high-achieving New York students to pursue their college education within the state.
The initiative mirrors similar programs in other states and is seen by some as a potential strategy to mitigate the impact of the Supreme Court's decision to strike down affirmative action. The program will be rolled out gradually, initially targeting select school districts before expanding statewide.
Pay Attention Items:
1. Direct Admission for Top 10% Students:
- The central tenet of the program is to offer direct admission to SUNY campuses for New York high school seniors who rank in the top 10% of their graduating class.
- Governor Hochul stated, "Offering New York students graduating in the top 10% of their class direct admission to SUNY campuses will help reduce barriers to higher education while ensuring our students can continue their education and pursue their dreams right here in New York State."
- SUNY will notify eligible seniors this fall, with the program beginning for students planning to enroll in Fall 2025.
2. Goals of the Program:
Increased Access and Reduced Barriers:
- The program aims to make higher education more accessible by streamlining the application process for high-achieving students. Mark Cortez, the executive director of admissions at Stony Brook, wrote that the program intends to let students "focus on other factors that may impact their decision to enroll in a SUNY institution besides the application itself."
Affordability and Staying In-State:
- The initiative seeks to provide affordable, high-quality academic options within New York, encouraging students to remain in the state for their education. Cortez stated, "Students don’t have to leave the state to find affordable and high-quality academic programs."
Increased Diversity and Equity:
- The program is part of a broader effort to make higher education more accessible to students of low-income and diverse backgrounds. SUNY Chancellor John B. King, Jr. emphasized, "We’ve been clear at SUNY, we’re committed to diversity." The initial rollout targets 68 school districts based on location and socioeconomic status. SUNY Chancellor King Jr. further stated, "The SUNY Top 10% Promise will make it even easier for our highest-achieving high school students – particularly those from low-income backgrounds – to discover SUNY’s extraordinary value and academic excellence."
Boosting SUNY Enrollment:
- The move comes as SUNY has fallen short of Governor Hochul's enrollment goal. The program is intended to attract more high-achieving students to the SUNY system.
3. Participating SUNY Campuses:
The initial phase of the program involves nine SUNY schools:
- Stony Brook University
- University at Albany
- University at Buffalo
- SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF)
- SUNY Geneseo
- SUNY New Paltz
- SUNY Oneonta
- SUNY Polytechnic Institute
- Purchase College
ESF President Joanie Mahoney expressed enthusiasm, stating,
"We are thrilled to be part of Governor Hochul’s SUNY Top 10% Promise Program, which aligns with our mission of expanding access to high-quality environmental education."
4. Program Implementation and Expansion:
- The program is currently in its initial phase, with select graduating seniors who plan to enroll in a participating SUNY campus in fall 2025 already included.
- Initially, graduating seniors from 68 New York State school districts were invited to participate based on factors like location and socioeconomic status.
- The program will eventually be expanded statewide, becoming open to every high school senior in New York State planning on applying to college.
5. Comparison to Other Programs:
- Governor Hochul noted that this initiative "mirrors similar programs offered by other public university systems like the University of California Statewide Guarantee."
- The plan is also noted to "borrow specifically from a 1997 initiative in Texas," which aimed to increase diversity after affirmative action was banned.
- Tennessee also launched a similar program in September, and other individual institutions have announced top 10 percent admissions standards.
6. Additional Efforts to Boost College Access:
- The announcement of the Top 10% Promise coincided with other initiatives aimed at increasing college access, such as the "Seawolves at Suffolk" program to support transfers to Stony Brook.
- SUNY, CUNY, and over 50 private New York colleges offered free application periods.
- CUNY is sending "welcome letters" to NYC public school seniors and waiving application fees.
- All New York City public school graduates have guaranteed admission to CUNY’s community colleges.
7. Potential Impact and Considerations:
- Mark Cortez believes the program will help Stony Brook become "more accessible for students as it removes uncertainty about academic preparation and competitiveness." He also hopes it will help achieve the goal of having students from all 62 counties in the state.
- Researchers have found that while automatic admission programs can boost applications, they don't always guarantee increased enrollment.
- The program is viewed by some as a strategy to "offset the potentially deleterious effects on campus diversity from the 2023 Supreme Court ban on race-conscious admissions."
The "Top 10% Promise" represents a significant effort by New York State to enhance access to its SUNY system for high-achieving students. By offering direct admission and aiming to reduce barriers, the program has the potential to reshape the landscape of college admissions in the state and encourage more talented students to pursue higher education within New York. The program's emphasis on equity and its alignment with similar initiatives nationwide suggest a growing trend towards direct admission models in public higher education. However, the long-term impact on enrollment figures and campus diversity will need to be closely monitored as the program expands.
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