Statewide Plan for Higher Education
Every eight years, the Board of Regents, in collaboration with the higher education community, develops and adopts the Statewide Plan for Higher Education. The Statewide Plan sets system goals and objectives and addresses priority matters of statewide concern to the State’s residents, workforce, and community as well as New York State’s institutions of higher education (IHEs). The Statewide Plan includes the long-range master plans of The City University of New York (CUNY), The State University of New York (SUNY), and New York’s independent and proprietary IHEs.
This webpage provides information and resources related to the development of the Statewide Plan for Higher Education.
Section 237 of the Education Law outlines the purposes of master planning for higher education in New York State and the Regents’ responsibility in that process, including creating a statewide plan. The purposes of planning should:
- Define and differentiate the missions and objectives of higher education.
- Identify the needs, problems, societal conditions and interests of the citizens of the state of New York to which programs of higher education may most appropriately be addressed.
- Define and differentiate the missions and objectives of institutions of higher education.
- Develop programs to meet the needs, solve the problems, affect the conditions and respond to the public’s interests by:
- Setting goals.
- Describing the time required to meet those goals.
- Identifying the resources needed to achieve the goals.
- Establishing priorities.
- Be in sufficient detail to enable all participants in the planning process, representatives of the people and the citizens themselves, to evaluate the needs, objectives, program proposals, priorities, costs and results of higher education.
- Optimize the use of resources.
- Evaluate program effectiveness.
Under Sections 6206 and 354 of the Education Law, respectively, The City University of New York (CUNY) and The State University of New York (SUNY) will each develop and submit a single master plan for its higher education system. Individual CUNY colleges and SUNY campuses do not submit separate master plans to the New York State Education Department (NYSED). Master plans for the 2025-2033 Statewide Master Plan must be submitted by November 15, 2024, to: statewideplan@nysed.gov.
According to Education Law, the Regents will review and approve the CUNY and SUNY master plans and incorporate them into the Statewide Plan. The Statewide Plan will also incorporate the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities (CICU) and Association of Private Colleges (APC) master plans.
A master plan in higher education is a long-term planning framework that provides a vision for the future. Creating that vision for higher education in New York State is informed by knowing what higher education currently looks like and understanding the realities imposed by New York State demographic, economic, and occupational data.
Here are links to data showing key elements and trends in higher education in New York State since 2016, along with specific United States Census Bureau and New York State Department of Labor data disaggregated by the Board of Regents Judicial District.
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New York State Institutions of Higher Education by Sector, Judicial District, and Regents Region |
There are 303 institutions of higher education (main and branch campuses) authorized to operate in New York State. These institutions can be organized by Judicial District and by Regents Postsecondary Education Region (Regents Region). Regents Regions are geographic areas consisting of two or more contiguous counties with institutions that, in the aggregate, have sufficient enrollment to form an efficient planning group designated by the Board of Regents. [See Commissioner’s Regulations §50.1]
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| College and University Closures (Main and Branch Campuses) 2016-2024 |
Since 2016, twenty-six colleges and universities will have closed by the end of the 2024-2025 academic year. Of these, 17 are private, and 9 are public. Nine of the closures have happened since the COVID-19 pandemic due to enrollment and financial challenges. |
| Higher Education Degrees Awarded 2016-2020 |
These charts show the fluctuation of degrees awarded from 2016 until the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. |
| Program Registration 2016-2023 |
Programs registered by the Office of College and University Evaluation and the Office of the Professions offered by colleges and universities in New York State are categorized by discipline (HEGIS Code). Institutions must request approval to register new programs and discontinue existing programs. |
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Degree Credit Enrollment |
Higher education enrollment in New York State has experienced a steady decline over the past decade, which accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Long-term projections forecast a demographic cliff of traditional college-age students that is expected to arrive in 2025. |
| Enrollment by Race 2021 vs. 2022 |
Diversity, equity, and inclusion remain a priority in New York State, with efforts focused on closing longstanding gaps in college enrollment, retention, and degree attainment rates for underrepresented students and students of color. |
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Students with Disabilities Enrollment |
Enrollment rates for students with disabilities have been improving over the past two decades. |
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Retention by Race, Ethnicity, and Students with Disabilities |
One-year retention rates for students of color and students with disabilities at two-year and four-year institutions from 2016. |
| Financial Aid 2016-2021 |
New York State policymakers and college stakeholders have worked to initiate policy, programmatic, and regulatory initiatives to address college affordability and enrollment issues at New York State (NYS) colleges and universities. The state’s largest financial aid Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) has been expanded, and the maximum TAP award for full-time students is $5,665. TAP now also includes eligibility for part-time students. In addition to TAP, college-bound students in NYS may be eligible for other types of grants offered through NYS Opportunity Programs and NYS Native American Grant Aid. |
| Demographics by Judicial District |
According to the Census Bureau's estimate, New York State’s population was 19.68 million in 2022, a decrease from 20.2 million, or 520,000 people, in 2020. The 2022 Census found that 18.6 % of the population were between ages 10 and 24, providing a projected number of individuals who could pursue post-secondary opportunities in New York State through 2034, along with how far they are likely to travel. |
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Economic Outlook by Judicial District |
New York State’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was $1.76 Trillion dollars in 2022, 2.3% higher than in 2021. Those dollars are primarily in finance and insurance, real estate, rental, and leasing and are unevenly distributed within New York’s judicial districts impacting household income and poverty status. |
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Occupational Projections by Economic Region |
Occupational projections by the New York State Department of Labor show the employment needs for each of the 10 designated economic regions in the State and include the education requirements for each occupation.
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Higher Education Data Collection and Reporting | New York State Education Department (nysed.gov) |
Information and Reporting Services (IRS) manages the Higher Education Data System (HEDS) that collects and distributes information on the status of higher education in New York State. IRS is responsible for collecting data from all degree-granting institutions in New York State, which includes both public and private institutions. IRS offers a variety of reports compiled from New York State Data. Reports include Admissions and Academic Participation, Enrollment of College Students with Disabilities, Graduation, Retention, Student Financial Aid, and Transfer Student Enrollment. |
Higher Education Help Center for Self-Service Support | New York State Education Department (nysed.gov) |
This is NYSED's Office of Information and Reporting Services (IRS) help desk system. It is designed to provide self-service support for our Student Information Repository System (SIRS) data warehouse customers. |
For inquiries related to the Statewide Plan for Higher Education, please send an email to: statewideplan@nysed.gov