SUNY Chancellor King and Board of Trustees Announce $400,000 State Budget Investment in SUNY’s Affordable Excellence in the New York City Region
June 3, 2026
New Funding Maintains Resident Tuition and Broad-Based Fees Freeze for State-Operated Campuses as SUNY Expands Initiatives to Support Students on a Path to a College Degree
FY 2027 Enacted Budget for SUNY Brings Four-Year Total Increase to Nearly Half a Billion Dollars Thanks to Governor Hochul and State Legislature
Albany, NY — State University of New York Chancellor John B. King Jr. and the SUNY Board of Trustees today announced the distribution of $54 million in new Direct State Tax Support in the FY 2027 Enacted New York State Budget to State-operated campuses—with $400,000 allocated to SUNY campuses in the New York City Region—as they affirm the affordability of an excellent education at SUNY. The funding maintains the statewide resident undergraduate tuition freeze even as SUNY expands initiatives to support students on their path to a college degree and strengthens the role SUNY campuses play in driving research, innovation, and economic growth statewide.
The budget was enacted under the leadership of Governor Kathy Hochul with support from Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart Cousins, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, and the entire State Legislature. Thanks to the Governor and legislative leadership, in addition to other investments in campus operations and facilities, total Direct State Tax Support has risen by $445 million over the last four years, a time marked by gains in enrollment, rigorous academic experiences, and SUNY research excellence.
“SUNY campuses are engines of opportunity for students and communities across New York, and this year’s state budget strengthens our ability to deliver on SUNY’s mission of affordable excellence,” said SUNY Chancellor King. “Thanks to the leadership of Governor Hochul and the State Legislature, public higher education remains central to a strong and affordable New York. This state investment will help campuses support student success, increase access to high-quality academic programs, grow research and workforce partnerships, and ensure students graduate prepared to thrive in New York’s economy and contribute to civic life.”
The SUNY Board of Trustees said, “This state budget represents a bold affirmation of SUNY’s pivotal role in New York’s future. With this investment, Governor Hochul and the State Legislature are reinforcing their commitment to academic excellence and are expanding the promise of opportunity for every New Yorker while prioritizing affordability. These new resources will fuel innovation, support cutting-edge research, and ensure SUNY remains a powerful engine of workforce development and economic mobility.”
Under today’s Board of Trustees resolution, SUNY will allocate the $54 million to its 29 State-operated campuses, which will be used primarily to replace revenue that would have been generated from a tuition increase. As part of this investment, every University Center will commit to investing in research growth and all other State-operated campuses will invest in additional student services and supports to help all students thrive academically and prepare for rewarding careers.
The SUNY Board of Trustees also affirmed that it will freeze broad-based resident undergraduate fees for the 2026-27 academic year. In addition, with the Governor’s and State Legislature’s support, SUNY will complete the multi-year process of eliminating fees for graduate student workers.
In the New York City Region, SUNY has allocated:
- $50,000 allocated to SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University; $19.72 million allocated since FY 2023
- $300,000 allocated to SUNY Maritime College; $3.12 million allocated since FY 2023
- $50,000 allocated to SUNY College of Optometry; $3.78 million allocated since FY 2023
The budget builds on three years of investment across the SUNY system, which made it possible for SUNY to allocate recurring funding to State-operated campuses to freeze resident undergraduate tuition and advance:
- General operating support to invest in student success and recruit and retain faculty and staff
- Cutting-edge research
- Paid internship opportunities for undergraduate students
- Student mental health services
- Services for students with disabilities
- Resources to address food insecurity
Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, said, “Investments in our SUNY system are an investment into the futures of our young people. As prices rise on everything from gas and groceries to higher education, the Assembly Majority is committed to keeping our great SUNY schools within reach for New Yorks’ students and families. Maintaining the tuition freeze is vital to that mission. The enacted SFY 2026-27 budget ensures that both schools and students have the resources they need to succeed and thrive.”
State Senator Toby Ann Stavisky, Chair of the Higher Education Committee, said, “When I became Chair of the Higher Education Committee in 2019, I vowed to reverse the trend of a $200 increase in tuition every year. Since then, there's hasn't been tuition increases for New York students. The Legislature put $54 million into this year's budget to replace the revenue a tuition hike would have generated. In an affordability crisis, holding the line on tuition is one of the most powerful tools we have. I thank Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins, Speaker Heastie, Chancellor King, and Governor Hochul, for helping to make this a reality.”
State Assemblymember Alicia Hyndman, Chair of the Higher Education Committee, said, “A premier public university system must be defined not only by the caliber of its academics but by the accessibility of its institutions. By securing this critical investment to freeze resident tuition and broad-based fees - and by fulfilling our promise to eliminate fees for our dedicated graduate student workers - the Legislature is unequivocally prioritizing the future of New York’s students. We are dismantling financial barriers and ensuring that SUNY remains a powerful engine of upward mobility, allowing our scholars to focus on academic excellence and innovation rather than the anxiety of rising costs.”
State Senator Robert Jackson said, “As a proud SUNY alumnus, this investment is deeply personal. SUNY embodies the belief that talent exists in every community and that opportunity should never be reserved for those with the greatest means. I am proud to help secure these budget victories because when we invest in public higher education, we invest in the people who will teach our children, heal our families, build our economy, and strengthen our democracy. That is not simply an investment in campuses—it is an investment in New York’s future.”
State Senator Nathalia Fernandez said, “Higher education remains one of the strongest pathways to workforce advancement, economic mobility, and the development of essential career skills. Seeing these investments reach SUNY Maritime College in my district and campuses across New York shows that our negotiations in Albany are translating into real opportunities for students pursuing a higher education. I am grateful to Governor Hochul, Chancellor King, and SUNY leadership for continuing to strengthen affordability and student support across our public university system.”
State Assemblymember Brian Cunningham said, “The significant investment our state has made in SUNY campuses across New York City is not just an investment in education, it is an investment in the future. It will help ensure that residents of New York City can pursue a quality college degree right here at home. The continued support for SUNY Downstate will ensure that the next generation of healthcare providers can train and grow in Brooklyn. I thank the Governor, Chancellor King, the SUNY Board of Trustees, and Assembly Speaker Heastie for supporting our campuses and investing in the future.”
SUNY Downstate President Wayne Riley said, “Thanks to Governor Kathy Hochul and our partners in the Brooklyn Delegation, the enacted State Budget is an investment in the health and future of Brooklyn and communities across New York State. At SUNY Downstate, these resources will help strengthen the education, research, and patient care programs that serve our students, patients, and community. New York’s healthcare future depends on a strong pipeline of well-trained physicians, nurses, public health professionals, scientists, and allied health providers. This investment will help Downstate expand educational opportunities, strengthen workforce development, and enhance the facilities that support learning, discovery, and care. This investment will help expand opportunities for students, strengthen workforce development, and enhance the facilities that support learning, discovery, and care.”
SUNY Maritime President Rear Admiral John Okon said, “Maritime College is grateful for the continued support of Governor Hochul, the State Legislature, especially our campus champions Senator Fernandez and Assemblyman Benedetto, Chancellor King, and SUNY leadership through the 2026–2027 State Budget. The investment in Maritime Scholarships through the Cadet Appointment Program is especially important as our nation faces a growing need for licensed mariners to support economic security, global commerce, and national defense. This funding expands access to a Maritime education, strengthens the workforce pipeline, and helps ensure New York State remains a national leader in the maritime industry, while Maritime College continues preparing the next generation of maritime leaders for service afloat and ashore.”
SUNY College of Optometry President David Troilo said, “The SUNY College of Optometry is profoundly grateful for the resources from New York State and our government officials that empower us to advance our commitment to provide outstanding student services and education, help us attract exceptional faculty, and drive innovative research that expands the college's capacity to enhance vision and overall health.”
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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