SUNY High Needs Program

SUNY High Needs is a competitive grant program that funds academic programs that connect directly to specific workforce needs of New York State. The High Needs Program began in 2006-2007 with funding from the NYS Legislature to increase enrollment in engineering and medical fields – academic programs that are expensive to start-up, operate, and expand. In 2008-2009, state appropriations for High Needs expanded to include nursing and hence, community colleges. In 2012, SUNY System Administration announced High Needs would be converted to a competitive grant beginning the 2013-2014 funding cycle, and the request for proposals would be subject to the Strategic Enrollment Planning Process to align academic programs whose graduates would fill jobs in high demand in New York State. In academic years 2013 and 2014, High Needs areas include: Agriculture/Agricultural Business, Biomedical/Biotechnical, Engineering, Finance, Healthcare, Information Technology, Public Health, and Renewable/Clean Energy.

In the last two years, 87 new High Needs grants have been awarded to establish or expand academic programs throughout New York State. With continued support from the NYS Legislature for University-wide funding, request for applications are released in the winter for the following fall’s program implementations.