Here’s What the SUNY Top 10% Promise Program Means for NY Teens

An ambitious new educational program aims to encourage New York students to pursue higher education in their home state.

Amid the skyrocketing cost of college tuition and increasingly competitive admissions, Governor Kathy Hochul has unveiled a plan that rewards the state's hardest working students.

The governor introduced the "SUNY Top Ten Percent Promise Program" yesterday, October 24, which aims to encourage New York students to continue their education in the Empire State.

The plan targets the highest-achieving New York high school seniors, or those among the top 10% in their respective district. Starting next application season, SUNY schools will start automatically accepting top-performing students.

So far there are nine campuses participating: 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.

The program will take effect for select high school seniors, or those with a GPA in the top 10% of their class, preparing to enroll for the Fall 2025 semester in 68 school districts across the state.

These schools serve students from low-income backgrounds or those from rural, urban, and suburban communities with high levels of adversity.

Among the 68 districts invited to participate in the program are Central Valley Ilion Mohawk, Syracuse City, and Utica City School Districts.

Top performing students in these districts will be asked to sign a consent form, which will share their academic record with SUNY for free, no fees or supplemental essays required.

"Access to higher education has the potential to transform New Yorkers' lives and change the trajectory of a student’s life," Governor Hochul said in a press release.

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.

Hochul first introduced the initiative in her 2024 State of the State, and is now releasing the full details and intentions behind the program.

This is part of a larger initiative to increase access to higher education to all students and reward the state's highest achievers.

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