The State University of New York is starting to automatically accept the state’s top high-school graduates at some of its most selective colleges, Gov. Hochul and SUNY Chancellor John King announced Thursday.
The plan, dubbed the “Top 10% Promise Program,” has been billed as a way to simultaneously boost diversity, particularly after a ban on affirmative action, and keep talent in state. It follows a trend of direct admission programs rolling out across the country.
“This really reduces potential barriers to students taking advantage of the full range of opportunities that they can find at SUNY,” King said in an interview with the Daily News. “It removes the barrier of doing the application. It removes the barrier of students maybe questioning if they’re going to be able to get into a top college.”
This admissions cycle, high school seniors whose GPAs are in the top 10% of their classes and meet certain requirements can skip the formal application — and receive automatic admission to at least one of nine SUNY schools for the fall semester.
The participating campuses include University of Albany, University at Buffalo and Stony Brook University. Binghamton University, frequently ranked the top public university in New York, is not among those in the program’s first year.
Eligible students cannot choose which campus they are accepted to, but are encouraged to apply to any other SUNY schools, university officials said. They are not required to attend the school they were offered through the direct admission program.
King predicted the program will be especially effective for low-income, high-achieving students.
“Their families may not be as familiar with the college admissions process,” the SUNY chancellor said. “They may find the application process intimidating. They may not know other students who’ve gone to top colleges, and so this is the way to overcome those kinds of barriers.”
To meet the additional criteria, high school seniors must be on track to graduate with either an advanced designation or a regular diploma alongside top marks on college-level tests, such as the SAT, ACT or AP exams.
New York City Public Schools were among the 68 school districts — representing about 8,000 top-performing students — invited to join the initial cohort. The nation’s largest school district, plus charter schools such as University Prep and New Visions, have already confirmed their participation, SUNY spokespeople said.
Hochul and SUNY plan to expand the initiative to all New York school districts in the near future.
“We’ll want to see do those students come? And then over time, we’ll want to see do those students thrive — do they persist and graduate?” King said. “But I think the evidence from other states is that these top 10% plan admittees do quite well.”
Several states, including Texas and California, already offer direct admission to the highest-achieving students. Data from the Golden State found the program boosted enrollment of under-represented students on its most competitive public campuses.
Hochul first previewed the plan earlier this year during her State of the State address.
“Direct admission to SUNY campuses will help reduce barriers to higher education,” Hochul said in a statement Thursday, “while ensuring our students can continue their education and pursue their dreams right here in New York State.”
