The state has unveiled a new program that creates a direct path for the highest-achieving New York high school seniors to gain admission and enroll at select State University of New York colleges. The SUNY Top 10% Promise Program is a direct-admissions program that automatically grants acceptance to graduating high school students whose GPAs are in the top 10 percent of their class and meet specific academic readiness criteria to at least one SUNY campus.
The nine initial participating campuses are: University at Albany, University at Buffalo, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, SUNY Geneseo, SUNY New Paltz, SUNY Oneonta, SUNY Polytechnic Institute, Purchase College, and Stony Brook University.
“Access to higher education has the potential to transform New Yorkers’ lives and change the trajectory of a student’s life,” Governor Kathy Hochul said. “Offering New York students graduating in the top 10 percent 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.”
Students in all New York State school districts will be eligible to participate when the SUNY Top 10% Promise is fully in place. In the first year, 68 school districts (and individual charter schools) from across the state were invited to participate based on serving rural, urban, and suburban communities with high levels of adversity or enrolling a significant share of students from low-income backgrounds. The initial participating high schools are representative of the diversity of New York State.
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