Rising Tuition Costs Cause Problems for New York Public Colleges

SUNY (State University of New York) colleges have long been recognized by the exceptional public education they provide and the state of New York is home to a number of other prestigious colleges and universities. While recent budget troubles have made the cost of college an issue in the state, the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education reported improvement in all measured areas for New York universities in colleges in its 2008 State Report Card.

Statistics on Colleges in New York

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, in 2008/09, there were many more colleges in New York than in most other states. The IES divided them as follows:

Public institutions: 307 (U.S. average: 32)
Private, not-for-profit institutions: 80 (U.S. average: 31)
Private, for-profit institutions: 182 (U.S. average: 23)

According to the National Center for Public Policy/Higher Education's 2008 Report Card, the numbers of New York universities and colleges were as follows:

45 public four-year colleges in New York
35 public two-year colleges in New York
179 private four-year colleges in New York
50 private two-year colleges in New York

There were 930,756 students attending these New York universities and colleges in 2006, according to the report:

Mixed Grades for New York Universities and Colleges

New York colleges' 2008 Report Card showed mixed results, with the state scoring well in performance measures such as preparation and completion but earning an "F" for affordability.

While the two worst grades for New York universities and colleges were related to recent tuition hikes, the Report Card noted that the costs of New York colleges had improved over the past decade.

According to the report, the average tuition at New York colleges in 2007/08 was:

Public four-year: $5,148
Public two-year: $3,466
Private $27,331

Average financial aid for students of New York universities and colleges was $3,985 for 2-year college students and $6,895 for 4-year college students. According to the Department of Education, in 2010, over 1 million students of New York universities and colleges received financial aid, including grants and loans. That's an increase of over 10 percent from 2006.

The higher scores for colleges in New York were given for high standards for secondary education and a high percentage of students who complete bachelors' degrees (58 percent).

New York Living

The median 2009 income for New York's nearly 19.54 million people was $50,790, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistic (BLS). Much of New York's economy is reliant on New York City, which has a population of 8.2 million. According to Pricewaterhouse Coopers, as of 2007, New York City had the second-biggest GDP (behind Tokyo) of all cities on the globe. In New York City, commerce and finances are big industries. Throughout the state, top industries include education, insurance, health care, and, in the capital city of Albany, government.

Kelli Smith writes about colleges and universities, community colleges, and online schools. Find New York Colleges at CollegesandUniversities.org.