SUNY Chancellor King and Board of Trustees Announce $1.5 Million State Budget Investment in SUNY’s Affordable Excellence in the North Country 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 $1.5 million allocated to SUNY campuses in the North Country 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 North Country Region, SUNY has allocated:
- $500,000 allocated to SUNY Canton; $4.00 million allocated since FY 2023
- $700,000 allocated to SUNY Plattsburgh; $6.87 million allocated since FY 2023
- $300,000 allocated to SUNY Potsdam; $4.94 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 Dan Stec said, “An investment in our colleges in an investment in our students’ futures. The $1.5 million allocated for North Country universities helps ensure college is affordable for those who choose to attend, while also maintaining and promoting rigorous academic standards and curriculum. This funding for our colleges will make a significant impact on our region for years to come.”
State Assemblymember Michael Cashman said, “SUNY Plattsburgh brought me to the North Country, and the incredible experiences I gained during my time as a student encouraged me to plant my roots firmly in the North Country. These institutions are more than just an educational center, they also increase economic development and activity in the surrounding communities. I am glad to see these schools receive this additional funding, and I will continue to be a fierce supporter and advocate for our SUNY schools.”
SUNY Canton President Zvi Szafran said, “The New York State budget makes a significant investment in students and in building the State’s future workforce, including here in the North Country By expanding access for adult learners by expanding SUNY Reconnect to include SUNY Canton and the other colleges of technology, supporting student success programs, and investing in campus facilities and workforce development, these initiatives will expand opportunities for students. We are grateful to Governor Kathy Hochul and the State Legislature for recognizing the vital role public higher education plays in driving economic growth, innovation, and upward mobility.”
SUNY Plattsburgh President Alexander Enyedi said, “SUNY Plattsburgh is grateful for the continued investment by Governor Kathy Hochul and the State Legislature in public higher education and in the students we serve across New York State. This budget recognizes the critical role SUNY campuses play in expanding access, supporting student success, strengthening workforce development, and preparing graduates for meaningful careers and engaged citizenship. At SUNY Plattsburgh, these investments help us continue building opportunities for students across our region through academic innovation, student support services, workforce partnerships, and improvements to campus facilities and infrastructure. We appreciate the State’s ongoing commitment to affordability, accessibility, and the long-term strength of the SUNY system and the communities it serves.”
SUNY Potsdam President Suzanne Smith said, “SUNY Potsdam is grateful for the continued support and increased funding from New York State for our campus and the entire SUNY System in the 2026-27 State Budget. This investment and continued support for operating aid will provide continued stability as SUNY Potsdam works to enhance our academic programs, support impactful research, and meet the needs of a fast-changing economy. We are deeply thankful for the efforts of Governor Hochul, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, and SUNY’s many advocates in the State Legislature, showing a continued commitment to affordability and innovation across the State University of New York. The budget will also strengthen critical initiatives that directly impact student success at SUNY Potsdam, including the expansion of the Empire State Service Corps, the provision of emergency student aid, and continued investment in transformative programs such as the Arthur O. Eve Educational Opportunity Program and the ACE completion initiative. These efforts will open doors for more students to thrive and succeed at Potsdam and across the SUNY System. Additional funding to address the critical maintenance backlog across the system will help to enhance the student experience by allowing campuses like Potsdam to modernize our facilities, improve learning environments and support campus life—strengthening both our campuses and our communities.”
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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