State University of New York (SUNY)

The State University of New York (SUNY) is the largest comprehensive system of public higher education in the United States with 64 geographically dispersed campuses bringing educational opportunity to more than 400,000 students. Campuses are divided into four categories based on educational mission, the kinds of academic opportunities available, and degrees offered.

The University offers students a wide diversity of educational options: short-term vocational/technical courses, certificate programs, associate degree programs, baccalaureate degree programs, graduate degrees and post-doctoral studies. Access to almost every field of academic or professional study is offered somewhere within the system---some 6,688 degree and certificate programs overall.

Although students are predominantly New York State residents, SUNY students also come from every other state in the United States, from four U.S. territories or possessions, and 171 foreign countries. In the fall of 2003, 18.6 percent of students were minorities and more than 12% of full-time faculty members represented minority groups.