New York’s Free Tuition Promise Falling Short

Report - March 2020

Faced with major economic disruption, New Yorkers are likely to turn to higher education. But while the Excelsior Scholarship program is growing, CUNY students and community college students statewide continue to be underserved.

by Eli Dvorkin and Brody Viney

Tags: higher education economic opportunity economic growth community colleges

Table 1: Total Enrollment and Awards by College Type
	2017			2018
	Undergraduate Enrollment	Excelsior Awards	Share	Undergraduate Enrollment	Excelsior Awards	Share
CUNY
Community Colleges	95,951	356	0.4%	95,073	335	0.4%
Senior Colleges	148,469	2,994	2.0%	149,878	3,738	2.5%
CUNY Total	244,420	3,350	1.4%	244,951	4,073	1.7%
SUNY
Community Colleges	209,233	4,619	2.2%	199,661	4,462	2.2%
Senior/State Colleges	181,952	12,489	6.9%	182,080	16,565	9.1%
SUNY Total	391,185	17,108	4.4%	381,741	21,027	5.5%
All Community Colleges	305,184	4,975	1.6%	294,734	4,797	1.6%
All Senior Colleges	330,421	15,483	4.7%	331,958	20,303	6.1%
New York State Total	635,605	20,458	3.2%	626,692	25,100	4.0%

Table 2: Growth in enrollments, awards, and award funding, 2017-2018
2017-2018
	Enrollment Growth	Award Growth	Funding Growth
CUNY
Community Colleges	-0.9%	-5.9%	55.5%
Senior Colleges	0.9%	24.8%	42.0%
CUNY Total	0.2%	21.6%	43.1%
SUNY
Community Colleges	-4.6%	-3.4%	14.6%
Senior/State Colleges	0.1%	32.6%	50.4%
SUNY Total	-2.4%	22.9%	43.2%
Community Colleges	-3.4%	-3.6%	17.2%
Senior Colleges	0.5%	31.1%	49.0%
New York State Total	-1.4%	22.7%	43.2%

Table 3: Enrollment and Awards as a Share of Total
	2017			2018
	Share of Enrollments	Share of Awards	Share of Funding	Share of Enrollments	Share of Awards	Share of Funding
CUNY
Community Colleges	15%	2%	1%	15%	1%	1%
Senior Colleges	23%	15%	14%	24%	15%	14%
CUNY Total	38%	16%	15%	39%	16%	15%
SUNY
Community Colleges	33%	23%	17%	32%	18%	14%
Senior/State Colleges	29%	61%	68%	29%	66%	71%
SUNY Total	62%	84%	85%	61%	84%	85%
Community Colleges	48%	24%	18%	47%	19%	15%
Senior/State Colleges	52%	76%	82%	53%	81%	85%
New York State Total	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%

Table 4: Enrollment and Awards by College
	2017			2018
	Undergraduate Enrollment	Excelsior Awards	Share	Undergraduate Enrollment	Excelsior Awards	Share
CUNY Community Colleges
BMCC	26,932	97	0.4%	26,506	123	0.5%
Bronx	10,935	10	0.1%	10,519	10	0.1%
Guttman	1,066	36	3.4%	955	37	3.9%
Hostos	7,211	11	0.2%	7,331	9	0.1%
Kingsborough	15,034	43	0.3%	15,051	38	0.3%
LaGuardia	19,373	61	0.3%	19,300	40	0.2%
Queensborough	15,400	98	0.6%	15,411	78	0.5%
CUNY Senior Colleges
Baruch	15,253	345	2.3%	15,024	349	2.3%
Brooklyn	14,689	315	2.1%	14,978	388	2.6%
City	13,210	293	2.2%	13,186	363	2.8%
Hunter	16,844	545	3.2%	17,212	769	4.5%
John Jay	12,916	361	2.8%	13,319	456	3.4%
Lehman	11,978	163	1.4%	12,639	230	1.8%
Medgar Evers	6,652	54	0.8%	6,638	52	0.8%
NYCCT	17,279	179	1.0%	17,269	204	1.2%
Queens	16,680	346	2.1%	16,620	452	2.7%
Staten Island	12,509	249	2.0%	12,211	305	2.5%
York	8,393	144	1.7%	8,495	170	2.0%
Professional Studies	2,066	-	0.0%	2,111	-	0.0%
Labor & Urban Studies	-	-	0.0%	176	-	0.0%
SUNY Community Colleges
Adirondack	3,892	140	3.6%	3,727	145	3.9%
Broome	5,624	201	3.6%	6,507	222	3.4%
Cayuga County	3,784	63	1.7%	3,775	65	1.7%
Clinton	1,583	39	2.5%	1,376	60	4.4%
Columbia-Greene	1,623	32	2.0%	1,578	41	2.6%
Corning	3,834	88	2.3%	3,424	77	2.2%
Dutchess	9,061	146	1.6%	8,582	138	1.6%
Erie	11,135	281	2.5%	10,529	255	2.4%
Fashion Institute	8,661	292	3.4%	8,555	330	3.9%
Finger Lakes	6,353	215	3.4%	5,944	168	2.8%
Fulton-Montgomery	2,403	75	3.1%	2,451	77	3.1%
Genesee	5,906	141	2.4%	5,530	120	2.2%
Herkimer County	2,632	94	3.6%	2,398	91	3.8%
Hudson Valley	11,020	367	3.3%	10,896	386	3.5%
Jamestown	4,463	89	2.0%	4,476	117	2.6%
Jefferson	3,460	119	3.4%	3,277	100	3.1%
Mohawk Valley	6,506	147	2.3%	6,317	150	2.4%
Monroe	12,907	353	2.7%	12,273	307	2.5%
Nassau	19,059	255	1.3%	17,406	207	1.2%
Niagara County	5,439	179	3.3%	5,047	172	3.4%
North Country	2,006	19	0.9%	1,978	15	0.8%
Onondaga	10,659	264	2.5%	9,834	237	2.4%
Orange County	6,601	120	1.8%	6,617	112	1.7%
Rockland	6,950	115	1.7%	6,859	96	1.4%
Schenectady County	6,588	78	1.2%	5,231	67	1.3%
Suffolk County	26,756	435	1.6%	26,078	463	1.8%
Sullivan County	1,565	28	1.8%	1,534	28	1.8%
Tompkins Cortland	2,632	63	2.4%	2,373	59	2.5%
Ulster County	3,560	65	1.8%	3,554	71	2.0%
Westchester	12,571	116	0.9%	11,535	86	0.7%
SUNY Senior/State Colleges
Albany	13,508	1,174	8.7%	13,598	1,516	11.1%
Alfred State	4,188	376	9.0%	3,737	437	11.7%
Binghamton	13,724	1,072	7.8%	14,021	1,419	10.1%
Brockport	7,180	703	9.8%	7,057	939	13.3%
Buffalo State	8,527	582	6.8%	8,082	687	8.5%
Buffalo University	21,020	1,496	7.1%	21,612	1,814	8.4%
Canton	3,183	168	5.3%	3,216	249	7.7%
Cobleskill	2,297	225	9.8%	2,332	305	13.1%
Cornell Statutory	5,852	8	0.1%	5,968	18	0.3%
Cortland	6,346	610	9.6%	6,343	819	12.9%
Delhi	3,467	264	7.6%	3,238	300	9.3%
Empire State	9,810	54	0.6%	9,327	50	0.5%
Envir Sci & Forestry	1,791	79	4.4%	1,825	129	7.1%
Farmingdale	9,552	412	4.3%	9,916	539	5.4%
Fredonia	4,393	568	12.9%	4,431	730	16.5%
Geneseo	5,524	588	10.6%	5,494	857	15.6%
Maritime	1,641	58	3.5%	1,586	70	4.4%
Morrisville	3,063	211	6.9%	2,986	218	7.3%
New Paltz	6,733	539	8.0%	6,692	739	11.0%
Old Westbury	4,635	229	4.9%	4,784	305	6.4%
Oneonta	5,940	565	9.5%	6,046	797	13.2%
Oswego	7,125	699	9.8%	7,081	955	13.5%
Plattsburgh	5,351	342	6.4%	5,297	578	10.9%
Potsdam	3,321	210	6.3%	3,298	370	11.2%
Purchase	4,063	291	7.2%	4,134	461	11.2%
Stony Brook	17,293	831	4.8%	17,474	1,074	6.1%
SUNY Poly	2,179	128	5.9%	2,256	175	7.8%
Upstate Medical	246	7	2.8%	249	15	6.0%
New York State Total	635,605	20,458	3.2%	626,692	25,100	4.0%

This data brief was made possible thanks to support from The Clark Foundation for ongoing research on improving college access and student success. General operating support for the Center for an Urban Future has also been provided the Bernard F. and Alva B. Gimbel Foundation. CUF is also grateful for support from Fisher Brothers for the Middle Class Jobs Project.

Center for an Urban Future (CUF) is an independent, nonprofit think tank that generates innovative policies to create jobs, reduce inequality and help lower income New Yorkers climb into the middle class. For 20 years, CUF has published accessible, data-driven reports on ways to grow and diversify the economy and expand opportunity that are anchored in rigorous research, not preconceived notions about outcome. Our work has been a powerful catalyst for policy change in New York City and serves as an invaluable resource for government officials, community groups, nonprofit practitioners and business leaders as they advocate for and implement policies to address some of New York’s biggest challenges and opportunities.