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News Release
Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heastie
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
March 10, 2026

Proposed Assembly Budget Makes $42.4 Billion Investment in Higher Education and Expands Tuition Assistance to Increase Accessibility and Affordability for New Yorkers

Speaker Carl Heastie and Higher Education Committee Chair Alicia Hyndman today announced the Assembly’s State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2026-2027 Proposed Budget ensures higher education can be an accessible and affordable reality for students by raising income threshold limits for the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) maximum awards and the Excelsior Scholarship, investing in the State University of New York (SUNY) and City University of New York (CUNY) and providing critical funding to opportunity programs.

“The Assembly Majority has long fought for all students to have access to the high-quality and affordable education they need to succeed and achieve their greatest potential,” said Speaker Heastie. “Investing in higher education is an investment into the future of our state and the funding we provide in this year’s proposed budget will bring tuition costs down, strengthen our opportunity programs, and increase educational access for all New Yorkers.”

“This year’s Assembly budget proposal addresses the burden of high costs that has made higher education inaccessible to many New Yorkers for too long,” said Assemblymember Hyndman. “Our commitment to students remains strong, and significant investments in tuition assistance, opportunity programs and SUNY and CUNY are critical in reducing barriers and expanding access to New Yorkers that dream of a bright future through higher education.”

HESC

The Assembly budget includes the New York Reinvests in Student Educational Supports (NY RISES) Program, a student loan program that provides further support to students, given the dramatic changes to the federal student loan programs. The Assembly budget provides $500 million in bonding authority to the State of New York Mortgage Agency (SONYMA) to facilitate this program.

Expanding TAP Eligibility

The Assembly’s budget includes $285 million to increase TAP awards to 8,000 New York students by increasing the income threshold for the maximum TAP award from $7,000 to $30,000 for dependent students, $7,000 to $30,000 for independent married students, $3,000 to $30,000 for independent single students. Additionally, the budget would expand TAP and Excelsior Scholarship eligibility by increasing the income threshold from $125,000 to $150,000.

The Assembly proposal also includes $160 million to reinstate graduate TAP, allowing graduate students to receive TAP awards.

SUNY

The Assembly budget restores $8 million in funds for SUNY. It also includes $10 billion for a 5-year SUNY capital plan, including:

  • $405 million for SUNY Critical Maintenance, for a total of $1 billion; and
  • $460 million for SUNY Research Facilities.

The budget also proposes to shift the cost of SUNY hospital debt service to the state, saving the hospitals $80 million.

CUNY

The Assembly proposal provides $7.8 billion in CUNY funding for a 5-year capital plan, including:

  • $170 million to support CUNY energy efficiency projects;
  • $150 million for CUNY’s comprehensive IT modernization and security enhancement;
  • $100 million for CUNY Critical Maintenance, for a total of $414.2 million;
  • $100 million for CUNY Community Colleges Capital, for a total of $157.3 million;
  • $60 million to build a new CUNY medical school and clinic building;
  • $50 million to upgrade and renovate CUNY’s science labs;
  • $15 million to construct a Science Complex at Lehman College; and
  • $5 million for phases 3 and 4 of Baruch College building infrastructure enhancements.

Additional investments in CUNY provide $2.5 million in new operating funds for Medgar Evers College, including:

  • $1 million for the Biomedical AI Research and Education Initiative;
  • $835,000 for the Jumpstart Summer Academy;
  • $500,000 for the Center for Black Literature; and
  • $150,000 for the Center for Law and Social Justice.

The Assembly budget proposal also provides $36.5 million for CUNY collective bargaining costs, $28.9 million for CUNY fringe benefits and $31.9 million for other unfunded mandatory costs to strengthen support for our CUNY workforce.

Community Colleges

The Assembly’s proposed spending plan provides an additional $8 million to expand the Opportunity Promise Scholarship for students pursuing associate degrees in four-year SUNY and CUNY colleges. 

The Assembly also provides $12 million in additional base aid for SUNY community colleges, for a total of $445.3 million, and $8 million in additional base aid to CUNY community colleges, for a total of $236.7 million, for academic year (AY) 2026-27.

Opportunity Programs

The Assembly proposed budget also provides a restoration and additional funding for opportunity programs, including:

  • $2.9 million restoration for the Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP), and provides a $7.1 million increase, for a total of $56.9 million;
  • $2.6 million restoration for the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP), and provides an increase of $17.5 million, for a total of $62.6 million;
  • $2.3 million restoration for the Search for Education, Elevation and Knowledge (SEEK) program, and provides a $5.6 million increase, for a total of $44.9 million;
  • $1.5 million restoration for the Liberty Partnerships Program (LPP), and provides a $3.7 million increase, for a total of $29.4 million;
  • $1.3 million restoration for the Science and Technology Entry Program (STEP), and provides a $3.2 million increase, for a total of $25.3 million;
  • $964,000 restoration for the Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP), and provides a $2.4 million increase, for a total of $19.2 million;
  • $483,000 for the Foster Youth Initiative, and provides a $1.2 million increase, for a total of $9.6 million; and
  • $108,000 restoration for College Discovery, and provides a $270,127 increase, for a total of $2.2 million.

Other Investments

The Assembly makes additional investments in higher education including $1 million for the Senator Patricia K. McGee Nursing Faculty Scholarship, for a total of $4.9 million, a $2 million restoration for Students with Disabilities, as well as providing a $2 million increase for a total of $6 million.

The Assembly also provides $40 million for a new round of funding for the Higher Education Facilities Capital Matching Grants Program (HECAP).