SUNY Empire State

We have been rejected from the other SUNYs (expected). We have 3 CUNYs and Suffolk community as our back ups which is fine.

I don't understand what SUNY Empire State college is? Is it a commuter college? An on-line learning institute?   May be a final hope for a 4 year school but I'll only pursue if it has dorm living. Otherwise, might as well just do the CUNY or SUNY


From the Empire State College website:

"SUNY Empire offers a variety of flexible study options to meet the needs of busy adults. Study online, onsite, at residencies, in study groups, or through a blend of these methods. With 35 locations across New York State, a SUNY Empire State location is not far from you."





Don't know much about it, but sense it is more focused on distance learning and students who need flexibility owing to working - which perhaps is less relevant or appealing given the requirements of the new Excelsior scholarship program. If the CUNY schools are the four-year senior colleges, I would think they would have more options in terms of courses and majors.


Yes and that's why I'm asking. I have no idea what this actually means or would look like in practice.

joan_crystal said:

From the Empire State College website:

"SUNY Empire offers a variety of flexible study options to meet the needs of busy adults. Study online, onsite, at residencies, in study groups, or through a blend of these methods. With 35 locations across New York State, a SUNY Empire State location is not far from you."



CUNY is 2 year. Non-residential.

apple44 said:

Don't know much about it, but sense it is more focused on distance learning and students who need flexibility owing to working - which perhaps is less relevant or appealing given the requirements of the new Excelsior scholarship program. If the CUNY schools are the four-year senior colleges, I would think they would have more options in terms of courses and majors.



CUNY and SUNY are university systems with many different colleges in them, both junior and senior.  CUNY has 13 senior colleges, 7 junior colleges and 4 grad schools.  SUNY has more of all of those.


yes but in general SUNY are the 4 year schools and CUNY are community colleges although some do have limited 4 year, BA/BS programs. Most aren't residential with dorms.


Now, anyone understand the deal with SUNY Empire State?


The eleven CUNY four-year colleges are listed here. Some have dorm living; Queens College is one example. Baruch, Hunter and City College also have on-campus housing.

Locations for SUNY Empire State are mapped here


yes, thank you. The 2 vs 4 years isn't really the concern. None really have dorm life. That's the issue.

I was hoping for a SUNY to getboutside of NYC in a dorm setting. He doesn't love NYC and the CUNYs (at least the ones he's applied to) don't have dorms meaning he'll be forced to live at home.

Anyone understand SUNY Empire State?


Unfortunately, Empire State doesn't seem to be a residential college like Purchase, Stony Brook and the others. Perhaps there is one dorm building somewhere, but that's not the same as being at a residential college with an active on-campus residential life.


yeah, that's what I thought. This is heartbreaking for this kid to be stuck at home but so exciting that college is free in NY.


Not to be a nit picker, but CUNY has many senior colleges and they are not "limited" offerings.


For residential life Lehman, City, Hunter and CSI all have dorms.   CUNY is an urban university so the campuses are urban campuses.   CSI and Lehman though are very spread out and traditional in terms of the residential component.  SUNY has some great colleges as well.



conandrob240 said:

yeah, that's what I thought. This is heartbreaking for this kid to be stuck at home but so exciting that college is free in NY.

There are some limitations, income and post college.  You need to live in the state for the amount of time you are in college in NY - once you graduate.    You also must graduate in 2 or 4 years, depending on the degree (associate or bachelors)  Family income must be 125,000 or less.  Finally, room and board are not included.


I do understand all the details of the "free tuition" but thank you. Done lots of research on that.

I got my graduate degree from CUNY Baruch so I understand they aren't solely 2 year schools as well and I understand their setting. My CUNY comment was a general one and about the CUNY schools he was accepted to (2 yr, no dorm life schools)

My goal was trying to find a school with a dormitory setting he could attend in the Fall. CUNY doesn't have that (at least not at the schools he was accepted to). SUNY typically does but he didn't get into the 4 we tried for.

This question was to try to understand SUNY Empire State as a possibility for dorm life for him but it seems it's not that type of school.

Kicking myself because I had two different Brooklyn heights apartments back right after the big real estate crash and paid $20k for one and $45k for the other in the 90s. Sold them thinking I made a great profit when they doubled but boy holding on to those would have been great for him now. 

Tell me about dorms at CSI?


Got it now.   Well we added a residence component about 4 years ago.  Here is a link.  I believe there are a few new buildings planned as well.   http://www.csistudenthousing.c...




he did get into CUNY Staten Island but now says "I hate the city". That housing looks awesome. I'm not clear on cost though- the description is not by month or year. I guess he'd be looking at a 2 bedroom. Any insight? I can call if not. 

If he can't go to CA, he says he'll just go to Suffolk (and probably nope around miserable for a year).

I'm about at my wit's end.


CSI is not Wagner College, but surely not the "city" inasmuch as, say, NYU is.  The CSI campus is set in much more of a park-like setting than an urban one and in primarily a residential area.  

As to the fees, I suspect they're by semester (so x2 for FY, summer addl as is normal) and include only the room.  


$8,500 for one semester of shared housing?!? That's insane. 

I understand that SI is not like NYC. To him, it's still more urban than he'd like  and, let's face it, it's pretty hard to sell SI as a desirable living location. But the dorms do like nice. They'd better be for $2500 a month shared with 3 other students. Yikes!


honestly, if it's going to cost $20,000 a year to house him somewhere he doesn't want to live, I may as well just spend that and let him go to CA.


I believe Corning Community College, a SUNY 2-year school, has dorms and is in a rural/small town setting.

https://www.corning-cc.edu/

https://www.corning-cc.edu/liv...




conandrob240 said:

honestly, if it's going to cost $20,000 a year to house him somewhere he doesn't want to live, I may as well just spend that and let him go to CA.

If he's in a single BR most colleges surcharge for the privilege.  You're looking at a 2BR, each with their own room, for 8k.  A single in a 3BR or 4BR runs about 1,500 less per semester at 6,600, and your standard shared BR in a 3BR at 5,800.  A tad high, but not crazy given the sizes.  


Has he toured CSI? It's funny how different perceptions can be when they actually tour. I'd at least try to do it before school is out.



eliz said:

Has he toured CSI? It's funny how different perceptions can be when they actually tour. I'd at least try to do it before school is out.

Agreed. For all you know, he'll hate it, but it's crazy not to take a look, since it's so close. Little to lose and much to gain.


you got me curious.. i just looked it up that figure is for room and board... it covers  a meal plan...

conandrob240 said:

$8,500 for one semester of shared housing?!? That's insane. 

I understand that SI is not like NYC. To him, it's still more urban than he'd like  and, let's face it, it's pretty hard to sell SI as a desirable living location. But the dorms do like nice. They'd better be for $2500 a month shared with 3 other students. Yikes!



Con: If he were to go California, which was the original plan, where would he live? In a dorm or some kind of student apartment. So ... let's say he goes to Suffolk CC. Why does he have to live at home? Why can't he live in a student apartment, just as he would in California? Let him do that for two years, do well, then transfer to a good four-year SUNY. Option 2: Take a gap year. Send him on some kind of program where he will grow as a person. Then he can make a more well-informed list of schools to apply to next year.


CSI is a 200 acre campus.  There is nothing remotely urban about it.  I will check on the costs of housing.  


maplegal said:

you got me curious.. i just looked it up that figure is for room and board... it covers  a meal plan...
conandrob240 said:

$8,500 for one semester of shared housing?!? That's insane. 

I understand that SI is not like NYC. To him, it's still more urban than he'd like  and, let's face it, it's pretty hard to sell SI as a desirable living location. But the dorms do like nice. They'd better be for $2500 a month shared with 3 other students. Yikes!

No. No meal plan. I am very familiar with this type of housing. This is what's called a private dorm. It was built by and is run by a private company at the behest of the college for the use of students. Many campuses across the country have this type of private dorm. (It's kind of controversial, but that's a different discussion.) Colleges want to get out of the housing business, thus private dorms are a HUGE money-maker for private developers and management companies.

Anyway, the price given is PER SEMESTER, PER OCCUPANT—not for the entire apartment. So, double the the price given to get the housing cost for the year. It does not include a meal plan, but there's a full kitchen in the apartment. 


$8600 without meal plan for a shared apartment is insane especially for SI. While I understand the campus is iark like, it's still SI- a borough of the biggest city in the world so it's definitely still "urban" and he hates NYC (or so he says)

At this point, He refuses to go visit anywhere. But he's pissed he was told he probably can't go to CA so maybe when he stops sulking.

It'd be silly for him to get an apartment to go to Suffolk. The whole point would be to save a lot of $. Plus, he has no one to live with and he hates LI anyway. 

He has a friend who will also be moving to LA and they plan to live together. Yes, again, it's community college so it'd be off campus. I like everything best about this plan except the fact that it's not NY State "free". 

There's no way I'm encouraging a gap year in an unmotivated, depressed kid. He'll never go to school. It will close the door for him forever and I'm not chancing that. I understand it works for some but not an option for him. If he has no big useful plan to spend a year doing and I'm not going to encourage anything that will result in a year of moping around the house any more than he already does.


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