SUNY Chancellor King Announces Partnership with City Year to Provide Academic Credit for Prior Learning through Service
May 8, 2026
New Yorkers Who Participate in a Year of Service with City Year will be Eligible to Receive Up to 10 Academic Credits for Their Service Experiences
Albany, NY — State University of New York Chancellor John B. King Jr. today announced a groundbreaking partnership with the nonprofit City Year and the National College Credit Recommendation Service that recognizes academic credits for learning through national service experiences. Through the partnership, New Yorkers who participate in 1,700 hours of service with City Year will be eligible to receive up to 10 academic credits at SUNY for their experience. This initiative is part of SUNY's ongoing efforts to promote civic engagement and service-based learning opportunities for students, a major component of which is the Empire State Service Corps.
"Part of a well-rounded public higher education is participating in service and civic engagement and providing academic credit for civic service experience recognizes the knowledge and skills students gain from these experiences," said SUNY Chancellor King. "SUNY is proud to work with City Year to support students who have undertaken service-based activities and to establish academic credits for those students as they attend the SUNY campus of their choice. SUNY will continue to serve as a model for how public higher education can prepare future leaders and invested citizens."
The SUNY Board of Trustees said, "Through the support of Governor Hochul, SUNY has become a national leader and example for how to inspire students to undertake public service opportunities through the Empire State Service Corps and other programs that support students as they work to serve their local communities. This initiative that awards credit for prior learning that students acquire during a service experience will help build on those efforts, and will incentivize more students to come to SUNY, bring their experience, and thrive on our campuses."
The National College Credit Recommendation Service is a nonprofit program that leads academic evaluations of education and training delivered by entities outside of college. City Year is a nonprofit organization and AmeriCorps program that facilitates training and opportunities for 18- to 25-year-olds to serve as student success coaches for public school students. The partnership between these two organizations and SUNY will mean that future City Year student success coaches will be eligible to receive SUNY academic credits for the prior learning undertaken as part of their service experience. The NCCRS review findings concluded that the City Year program meets standards and criteria to warrant college credit recommendations, and that a full-time service experience has the value of 10 academic credits for 1,700 hours of service, while a part-time experience of 1,200 hours can be valued at 9 credits.
Jim Balfanz, CEO of City Year, said, "National service is evolving, and City Year is excited to be a part of innovation that prepares young people for meaningful post-service career and education opportunities. By translating the learning that happens through AmeriCorps service into academic credit, we are reimagining how service, education, and workforce pathways connect. This innovative approach recognizes that the skills developed through service—working on diverse teams, supporting students in classrooms, and tackling complex challenges—are real, rigorous, and worthy of formal recognition. We are grateful to our partners at SUNY for advancing a model that can help shape the future of national service."
Lisa Sax Mahoney, National College Credit Recommendation Service Director, said, "We are honored to collaborate with City Year in recognizing the depth and rigor of their service programs. This work reflects a shared commitment to ensuring the knowledge and skills gained through service are valued by higher education partners, like SUNY, and can support participants on their path to college admission and completion."
Jennifer Hoos Rothberg, Executive Director of Einhorn Collaborative, said, "We are proud to support the City Year and SUNY partnership to increase access to high-quality service experiences in New York State and create new pathways for more students to attain a higher education degree through the credit-for-service mode. City Year student success coaches will not only be able to gain the necessary civic skills and mindsets to become engaged citizens and effective leaders — they will also enter college with credits for their service year, reducing the cost and time required to graduate and removing barriers for college completion."
In 2025, SUNY announced the expansion of a strategic partnership with City Year to advance service and educational opportunities for college students, made possible by a significant multiyear investment from Einhorn Collaborative. SUNY Erie Community College was the first SUNY campus to adopt this effort and ensure students are eligible to receive college credit for their service. As part of the partnership, City Year created a part-time student success coach role, which enables SUNY Empire State Service Corps students to serve as peer tutors, mentors, and role models who serve in schools to build positive relationships with students, helping them stay on track to graduate from high school and be prepared for college and career.
SUNY Erie Community College Senate Chair Dr. Colleen Quinn said, "This initiative recognizes that meaningful learning happens both inside and outside the classroom. By awarding academic credit for service experiences, SUNY Erie is creating additional pathways for students to succeed while strengthening civic engagement and workforce development across Western New York. We are proud to support opportunities that empower students to serve their communities, build valuable skills, and advance their educational goals."
SUNY Erie Community College's team that worked on the initiative, including Robin Curran-Capasso, Director of Teacher Preparation Program; Nicole DeVillier, Social Science Faculty, and Adam Patterson VP IRAAP, said, "It is truly inspiring to celebrate the strong connections and meaningful collaboration between organizations that serve our community, such as City Year. Through our partnership with City Year, we strengthen our role as community partners, supporting passionate students as they translate their real-world experiences into academic success and degree completion. SUNY Erie Community College is proud to advance education and empower learners to thrive in an ever-changing world."
State Senator Patricia Fahy said, "Nonprofit partnerships with SUNY, like City Year, represent an important step forward in recognizing the sheer value in experiential learning. Programs that strengthen civic engagement and build workforce development will develop more opportunities for students to excel academically while giving back to their communities and gaining important work experience. With the help of the Empire State Service Corps and the National College Credit Recommendation Service, SUNY is ensuring a pathway to create a more immersive and student-focused higher education system. As a longtime advocate of internships and experiential learning opportunities, I'm grateful to Chancellor John B. King Jr., SUNY, and all of the partners involved for their dedication and commitment to this program."
State Senator Rachel May said, "A college education should prepare students not only for a career, but also for being active and engaged members of their community. This new partnership between SUNY and City Year will encourage students to get involved, serve others, and help strengthen the communities where they live and work. Hopefully, it will also inspire a lifelong commitment to community engagement. Thank you to Chancellor King for ensuring that SUNY graduates are not only knowledgeable and capable students, but caring ones too."
State Assemblymember Alicia L. Hyndman, Chair of the Higher Education Committee, said, "True student persistence means recognizing that valuable learning frequently happens beyond the walls of a classroom. As Chair of the Higher Education Committee, I commend SUNY and Chancellor King for this groundbreaking partnership with City Year. By awarding academic credit for public service, we are breaking down barriers to graduation, easing the financial burden on our students, and honoring the invaluable real-world experience our young people gain when they dedicate themselves to their communities."
State Assemblymember Michael S. Cashman said, "As the former Chair of the New York State Commission on National and Community Service, I know just how impactful programs like this can be. Not only does it bring people out to support their communities in countless different ways, but it also encourages self-growth and discovery in our youth. Exposing young adults to the importance of giving back early is critical for continuing a cycle of service every community in our state can benefit from. Combining these incredible experiences with a SUNY education is a surefire way for the state to set up our next generation of strong leaders, and I am thrilled this is coming to fruition."
State Assemblymember Gabriella A. Romero said, "Education should be a holistic experience, blending traditional classroom instruction with hands-on experiences in diverse settings. SUNY Albany's partnership with City Year's mentorship program will be a win-win for both the college students gaining credit hours, and the public school students learning from and interacting with older peers. These hours of community service are valuable, and rewarding SUNY students with credit for their service only reinforces this constructive dynamic. I hope to see more partnerships that encourage broader participation in our community such as this one continue to be prioritized by our state schools."
State Assemblymember Angelo Santabarbara said, "I've had the opportunity to meet with students participating in SUNY's Empire State Service Corps initiative and see firsthand the energy, leadership, and commitment they bring to serving their communities. That experience reinforces just how valuable programs like City Year can be in helping young people build real-world skills while making a meaningful difference in the lives of others. Recognizing that service with academic credit strengthens the connection between civic engagement, higher education, and workforce development, while creating additional pathways for students to succeed."
The credit for prior learning through service initiative is part of SUNY's commitment to support students with service-based opportunities, and to encourage more students to participate in civic engagement opportunities. A major component of that effort is SUNY's Empire State Service Corps, which was launched by Governor Hochul in 2025, and will be doubled, under the Governor's Executive Budget, to support more than 1,000 students for the 2026-2027 academic year. Students participating in the Empire State Service Corps dedicate at least 300 hours to engage in paid community service, and convene regularly to share and learn from each other's experiences. As a recognized AmeriCorps program, participating students who complete 300 service hours also receive an AmeriCorps Segal Education Award of up to $1,400 for their service.
About City Year
City Year works to advance academic outcomes for all students and develop the next generation of leaders through national service. Research shows the more time a student spends with a City Year AmeriCorps member serving as a student success coach, the better the student outcomes—academically, interpersonally and in terms of attendance. A public-private partnership, City Year is a proud member of AmeriCorps, operating in 29 U.S. cities with international affiliates in the U.K. and South Africa. Today, 40,000 alums continue to lead and serve where they live and work. Learn more about City Year's impact: www.cityyear.org.
About the State University of New York
The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, and more than 95 percent of all New Yorkers live within 30 miles of any one of SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the country’s oldest school of maritime, the state's only college of optometry, 12 Educational Opportunity Centers, over 30 ATTAIN digital literacy labs, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.7 million students across its portfolio of credit- and non-credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic research in New York. Research expenditures system-wide are nearly $1.5 billion in fiscal year 2025, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There are more than three million SUNY alumni worldwide, and annually one in three New Yorkers who earn a college degree is a SUNY alum. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunities, visit suny.edu.
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