For the first time in a decade, enrollment across the State University of New York campus system increased over the course of one year, Gov. Kathy Hochul's office announced Wednesday.

Enrollment between fall 2022 and fall 2023 increased 1.1%, for a total of 367,542 more students. That's the first year-to-year increase in ten years.

Hochul's office said undergraduate first-time enrollment was up across all sectors, at 4.3%.

The technology sector showed the strongest increase at 13.3%, followed by community colleges at 3.9%.

“New York continues to make important progress towards building the best public higher education system in the country and as a result, more young students are choosing SUNY,” Hochul said in a statement. “I know firsthand that access to higher education is an engine for social mobility. That’s why I will continue to make important investments in our higher education systems and take steps to ensure college is affordable and accessible for students of all backgrounds.”   

"There is a place at SUNY for every New Yorker, and the great news is that more students across the state are discovering their SUNY success stories," SUNY Chancellor John King Jr. said. "We will continue reaching out to students and adult learners across our state to ensure they know about the opportunities on our campuses and the financial aid available to help get them there.” 

The numbers are good news for the 64-campus system that is marking its 75th anniversary this year, as enrollment has been a recent issue, dropping almost 100,000 total enrolled students since 2012, a problem made worse in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

State lawmakers and Hochul also agreed to boost operating aid to SUNY by $178 million to more than $1.3 billion as part of the state budget this year. The added funding avoided a proposed tuition increase for in-state students. 

Also, for the first time this year, SUNY, the City University of New York and 40 private schools in the state coordinated to provide a window of free application opportunities for high school seniors.