As part of the annual State of the State Address, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the Top 10% Promise program on Thursday, Oct. 24. This new program will grant high school seniors in the top 10% of their graduating class direct admission to nine SUNY schools, including Stony Brook University. This initiative mirrors similar programs offered by other public university systems like the University of California Statewide Guarantee.
“Access to higher education has the potential to transform New Yorkers’ lives and change the trajectory of a student’s life,” Hochul said in a press release. “Offering New York students graduating in the top 10% 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.”
This new program is part of the governor’s plan to make access to higher education more affordable and accessible to students of low-income and diverse backgrounds. Once the program is fully integrated within all 64 SUNY campuses, it will be open to every high school senior in New York State planning on applying to college. Currently, a select number of graduating seniors who plan on enrolling in a participating SUNY campus in fall 2025 are already in the program.
“We’ve been clear at SUNY, we’re committed to diversity,” SUNY Chancellor John B. King, Jr. said in a video interview with ABC Eyewitness News.
Mark Cortez, the executive director of admissions at Stony Brook, wrote in an email that the new program would “[provide] an excellent opportunity for high-achieving students to explore options here in New York, including at Stony Brook University.”
He also wrote that the new program intends to let aspiring college students focus on other factors that may impact their decision to enroll in a SUNY institution besides the application itself.
“Our hope is that through the time saved from the regular application process [by not asking students to submit the Common App or the SUNY application], they will have more time to explore and consider our community and academic enrichment programs that may help to influence their final decision on where to earn their degree,” Cortez wrote.
Along with Stony Brook, the other schools participating in the program include the University at Albany, University at Buffalo, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, SUNY Geneseo, SUNY New Paltz, SUNY Oneonta, SUNY Polytechnic Institute and Purchase College.
As of now, graduating seniors from 68 New York State school districts were invited to participate in the program based on their location and socioeconomic status. As the program continues to grow, students from more school districts across New York will be offered direct admission to SUNY schools.
According to Cortez, the program will make institutions like Stony Brook accessible to everyone regardless of their financial situations and other limitations barring them from pursuing higher education.
“One of our top priorities is ensuring our first-year class includes students from all 62 counties in the state,” Cortez wrote. “If it expands, this program may be one factor that helps us accomplish that goal as it ensures accessibility to top-ranked universities like Stony Brook … The introduction of rank, as well as this guarantee, will make our institution more accessible for students as it removes uncertainty about academic preparation and competitiveness.”
Shortly before the announcement of the Top 10% Promise program, the Seawolves at Suffolk program was announced, which provides academic support to students enrolled at Suffolk County Community College who intend on transferring to Stony Brook.
Programs like the Top 10% Promise and Seawolves at Suffolk offer New York students more opportunities to attend SUNY schools.
“This program amplifies the quality of Stony Brook as well as other SUNY schools,” Cortez wrote. “Students don’t have to leave the state to find affordable and high-quality academic programs.”
