College Green (SUNY Geneseo/Matt Burkhartt)
SUNY Geneseo was selected as one of nine SUNY institutions participating in Governor Kathy Hochul's SUNY Top 10% Promise program. The program, announced earlier this week, creates a direct pathway for the highest-achieving New York high school seniors to gain admission and enroll at select SUNY colleges and universities. The program aims to help more New York students benefit from SUNY's unparalleled accessibility, affordability, and academic excellence.
"Access to higher education has the potential to transform New Yorkers' lives and change the trajectory of a student's life," Governor Hochul said. "Offering New York students graduating in the top 10 percent 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."
The Top 10% Promise is a direct-admissions program that automatically grants acceptance to graduating high school students whose GPAs are in the top 10 percent of their class and who meet specific academic readiness criteria to at least one selective, world-class SUNY campus. The program will take effect for select high school seniors preparing to enroll for Fall 2025.
“Attending a liberal arts Honors College like Geneseo, which directly admits high school students within the top 10 percent of their high school class, offers a remarkable opportunity,” says Geneseo’s Vice President for Enrollment Management Costas Solomou. “It opens doors for high-achieving and academically gifted students who might feel under-matched or uncertain about their college options. Such programs provide these students with access to an affordable, high-quality education that can truly nurture their talents and potential.”
When the program is fully in place, students in all New York State school districts will be eligible to participate. In the first year, 68 school districts (and individual charter schools) were invited to participate based on serving rural, urban, and suburban communities with high levels of adversity or enrolling a significant share of students from low-income backgrounds.
The other eight initial participating campuses are the University at Albany, the University at Buffalo, the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, SUNY New Paltz, SUNY Oneonta, SUNY Polytechnic Institute, Purchase College, and Stony Brook University.
See the News10 story about Geneseo’s participation in the program.
Adapted from Governor Hochul’s press release.