Introduction to the Structure of Higher Education in New York City

• New York is a college town. There are 97 institutions of higher learning within the City. Their graduates feed the City's industries, and the country's. A significant number are foreign students, some of whom return, educated, to their home countries. To the extent that they learn American values and absorb New York City culture, they represent emissaries of the United States and New York.
  
• In New York, there are two public university systems: the State University of New York (SUNY) and The City University of New York (CUNY).

• The State University of New York (SUNY) has campuses across the State. It was created in 1948. A 16-member Board of Trustees governs State University. The Governor appoints 15 members, with the consent of the Senate, and the student body chooses one student. In the Fall of 2005, SUNY had a total enrollment of 414,171. SUNY's State-operated campuses derive almost 40% of their income from direct State appropriations; the balance is from Federal funds, alumni, tuition and fees, corporations, foundations, and other sources.

• The City University of New York (CUNY) is located in New York City. It was created in 1961. CUNY has 13 senior colleges (one offering study through the doctorate, eight offering undergraduate and master's degree programs, three offering programs to the baccalaureate level, and a school of law) and six community colleges. In the Fall of 2004, CUNY's senior colleges had a total headcount of nearly 144,821 and its community colleges, more than 73,307. City University is governed by a 17-member Board of Trustees: ten members appointed by the Governor, with the consent of the Senate; five appointed by the Mayor of New York City, also with the consent of the State Senate, a representative of the student body, and a representative of the faculty. Nearly 60% of the funding of CUNY's senior colleges is provided by State appropriations; the balance is from alumni funds, tuition and fees, and Federal and local funds.

• The independent colleges and universities are operated on a not-for-profit basis.  Most are chartered (incorporated) by the Regents or by special acts of the State Legislature and have their own boards of trustees. Most of the independent institutions are members of a corporation called the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities of the State of New York (CICU). The independent colleges derive less than one-half of one percent of their income from direct State aid.

• The proprietary colleges and universities are profit making, private entities. Most specialize in the fields of business and commerce. Most of these institutions are members of a corporation called the Association of Proprietary Colleges. The proprietary colleges receive no direct State aid. 

http://www.highered.nysed.gov/ocue/structureofhighereducation.htm

http://www.rfsuny.org/about/index.htm#facts