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Higher Education

Office of Higher Education

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: Master Planning 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:

  1. Define and differentiate the missions and objectives of higher education.
  2. 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.
  3. Define and differentiate the missions and objectives of institutions of higher education.
  4. Develop programs to meet the needs, solve the problems, affect the conditions and respond to the public’s interests by:
    1. Setting goals.
    2. Describing the time required to meet those goals.
    3. Identifying the resources needed to achieve the goals.
    4. Establishing priorities.
  5. 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.
  6. Optimize the use of resources.
  7. Evaluate program effectiveness.

 

Sections 6206 and 354 of the Education Law: CUNY and SUNY Master Plans

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. 

Helpful Links
Statewide Plan for Higher Education Helpful Links

Higher Education Data | 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.

Higher Education Data Collection and Reporting | New York State Education Department (nysed.gov)

Higher Education Reports | New York State Education Department (nysed.gov)

A variety of reports complied 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.

 

Contact Us

For inquiries related to the Statewide Plan for Higher Education, please send an email to: statewideplan@nysed.gov