ROCHESTER, N.Y. — For the second consecutive year, SUNY schools have reported an increase in enrollment, defying the national trend of declining college attendance. News10NBC’s Tom Kowalski spoke with SUNY leaders to understand what sets them apart.

SUNY Chancellor John King attributes the growth to efforts aimed at reducing barriers for prospective students.

“We want every New Yorker to know that they can come to SUNY and get the education they need to move up economically for themselves and for their family,” King said. He highlighted the importance of the federal Pell Grant and the New York State Tuition Assistance Program, which was expanded last spring. “That’s one of the reasons why 52% of our students go tuition-free,” he added.

The SUNY system has experienced a 2.4% increase in enrollment since Fall 2022. SUNY Brockport has also seen a significant rise.

“We have about a 16.5% increase in our enrollment over the last two years,” said SUNY Brockport President Heidi Macpherson. She noted that during the pandemic, enrollment lagged, prompting strategic investments in growth.

“We invested very heavily in ensuring that students in New York know who we are and what we do, that we have a series of programs that are attractive to our students. And then we invested in scholarships as well, so that three out of four of our students actually receive a scholarship coming into SUNY Brockport,” Macpherson said.

Students like Morgan O’Bryan and Kailey Tkazyik cited the free application week as a deciding factor in choosing SUNY.

“If you’re applying to a lot of colleges, it just makes sense to apply when the application is free,” O’Bryan said.

Tkazyik expressed regret for not taking advantage of the opportunity, noting the cost of applying to private colleges.

Monroe Community College also reported an enrollment increase for the fourth consecutive year earlier this year.

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