Senate Bill S2066

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S2066

SPONSOR: STAVISKY
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the education law, in relation to authorizing the board
of trustees of the state university of New York to offer certain non-re-
sident undergraduate students separate tuition rates for attendance at
selected state-operated institutions; and providing for the repeal of
such provisions upon the expiration thereof

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

To authorize the SUNY Board of Trustees to develop a pilot program
expected to be used by selected universities facing significant out-of-
state competition for students to more effectively market these univer-
sities to residents of surrounding states.

 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:

Section 1. Amends paragraph h of subdivision 2 of section 355 of the
education law by adding new subparagraph 4 (b). Subparagraph 4 (b)
              

directs that beginning in the 2020-2021 academic year, the SUNY Board of
Trustees is authorized to designate selected state operated institutions
of SUNY to allow eligible non-resident undergraduate students to pay
separate tuition rates for attendance at those selected institutions,.
Those regulations shall provide that eligible out-of-state residents
would pay tuition and fees at a rate; which is not less than 1.5 times
the in state tuition and fee rate. No more than 10k of the enrollment
openings at each eligible campus could be filled by out-of-state
students who receive this rate. The program would run for a four-year
period. The State University Board of Trustees would be directed to
select institutions based upon considerations to include out-of-state
competition, current or projected levels of high school graduates within
an institution's recruitment region, and the enrollment capacity and
physical location of the institutions. The separate tuition rates would
be available to out-of-state students from Connecticut, Massachusetts,
New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and the Canadian providences of
Ontario and Quebec.

Section 2. Sets forth the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

This bill would grant authority to the SUNY Board of Trustees to craft a
program to assist in state institutions who face significant out-of-
state competition to more effectively market their campuses. For exam-
ple, SUNY Fredonia, SUNY Potsdam and SUNY Alfred all have campuses which
are located near New York's border. They would make an attractive desti-
nation for students who reside in nearby urban areas in states such as
Pennsylvania, Ohio, and even Ontario. The current in-state tuitionò rate
does little to attract students from out-of-state communities to these
campuses. A tuition rate that is one and one half times the instate rate
would make these colleges a more affordable choice to the pool of nearby
out-of-state students.

Many colleges in Pennsylvania and Ohio currently offer5;414 in-state
rates to students in New York and actively market these rates to New
York residents. Examples of this marketing include Youngstown State
University where under the "tuition advantage program" non-residents
from New York, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia pay only $210 more than
Ohio in-state tuition. In 2011 Edinborough University, which enrolled
13.8% of their students from out of state, offers tuition at 5% greater
than the in state tuition rate. Another example is the University of
Pittsburgh at Bradford which operates a Go Beyond New York" program and
specifically targets New York students from Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, and
Allegheny counties who are offered the Pennsylvania in-state tuition. In
2011, 21.4% of Bradford's students came from out-of-state.

Creating a temporary pilot program will help to increase out of state
enrollment for the largest public system of higher education. This will
develop brand awareness of the SUNY system for out-of-state students,
families and guidance counselors. The program will bring additional
housing, food and discretionary spending dollars into New York's economy
and would further benefit the local economies surrounding these campus-
es.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2019-2020: A.7862/S.5797 - Referred to Higher Education.

2021-2022: A.No same as/S.4215 - Referred to Higher Education.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately, and this act shall expire and be
deemed repealed on August 31, 2029.