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2026–27 SUNY State Budget Priorities

SUNY is grateful to Governor Kathy Hochul, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, and the members of the New York State Senate and Assembly for three years of historic levels of investment in operating and capital funding to SUNY that directly benefits students, faculty, and staff.

To continue to build upon this momentum, SUNY respectfully asks that investments proposed within the Executive Budget be accepted, programs that were reduced be restored, and additional funding be provided in this year's enacted budget.

On behalf of SUNY students, faculty, and staff, we respectfully request the following in the 2026-27 SFY Enacted Budget:

INCREASED OPERATING AID FOR ALL SUNY CAMPUSES AND HOSPITALS:

• Support $54M in increased Stateoperating aid for SUNY State-operated campuses to continue the freeze on New York State resident undergraduate tuition rates
• Support increased State operating aid for community colleges as proposed in the Assembly and Senate One-House budgets($8M proposed by SUNY BOT)
• Support $8M for the expansion of ASAP and ACE programs
• Support $2.8M for the expansion ofthe Empire State Service Corps
• Support $7.4M for NY CareerConnect internships
• Support $600,000 for emergencyaid for students
• Maintain the 100 percent community college funding floor, which avoids $65M in lost direct State tax funding
• Eliminate the SUNY hospital debt service sweep as proposed in the Assembly and Senate One-House budgets

INCREASED CAPITAL FUNDING:

• Invest additional capital funding for State-operated campuses to address SUNY's $10B system-wide critical maintenance backlog and construct world-class research facilities as proposed in the Assembly and Senate One-House budgets ($1.46B proposed by SUNY BOT)
• Support the establishment of a five-year SUNY capital plan to allow for more predictable funding and strategic and efficient capital planning and construction as proposed in the Assembly and Senate One-House budgets
• Support $128.1M for community college capital local match
• Support $150M in hospital critical maintenance, providing $50M per SUNY hospital
• Invest additional capital funding for thermal energy networks at SUNY campuses as proposed in the Assembly and Senate One-House budgets

SUNY SUPPORTS THE RESTORATION OF FUNDING THAT WAS INCLUDED IN THE ONE-HOUSE BUDGETS FOR THE FOLLOWING PROGRAMS:

• $4.1M: TANF funds for ATTAIN labs
• $2.6M: Educational Opportunity Program (EOP)
• $2M: Maritime Cadet Appointments Program scholarships
• $2M: Students with disabilities
• $1.7M: Cornell Cooperative Extension
• $1M: High needs nursing program
• $1M: Mental health services
• $500K: Public Interest State Law Program at the University at Buffalo School of Law
• $350K: Black Leadership Institute
• $350K: Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Leadership Institute
• $300K: Dutchess County Community College's housing and food insecurity initiative
• $150K: Benjamin Center at SUNY New Paltz

SUNY SUPPORTS THE FOLLOWING ADDITIONAL FUNDING INCLUDED IN THE ONE-HOUSE BUDGETS:

• $17.5M: Educational Opportunity Program (EOP)
• $3.2M: NY AFFIRMS Bilingual Educator Pipeline at Buffalo State University
• $3M: Higher Education in Prison
• $3M: ESF Center for Sustainable Forest Management and Mass Timber Innovation research and faculty support
• $2.5M: ESF Center for Sustainable Forest Management and Mass Timber Innovation capital funding
• $2.1M: Timbuctoo Summer Climate and Careers Institute
• $2M: New York State Mesonet at the University at Albany

ARTICLE VII PROPOSALS:

• Support the expansion of SUNY Reconnect (Executive ELFA Part C)
• Support the community college certificate of residency policy reforms (Executive ELFA Part D)
• Support the extension of SUNY's authority to set non-resident tuition rates (Executive ELFA Part E)
• Support the SUNY Trustees authorizing the lease of certain land in Executive's TED Part U Subparts A and B and include Subpart C as proposed in the Senate One-House budget
• Support increasing discretionary procurement thresholds (Executive PPGG Part Y)
• Reject the NYSHIP hospital account sweep (Executive PPGG Part FF)