State University of New York (SUNY) Chancellor John B. King Jr. enjoyed breakfast at the Collegiate, Alfred State’s historic downtown restaurant and student learning laboratory, during a day full of visits to SUNY Southern Tier campuses.
At breakfast, he had the opportunity to talk to Alfred State students enrolled in the Equal Opportunity Program (EOP) and administration and staff that support the program.
SUNY is celebrating a historic $10 million increase in the Arthur O. Eve Educational Opportunity Program. Governor Kathy Hochul and the State Legislature approved the increase, the first in recent history, last month in the enacted fiscal year 2026-2027 State budget. The nearly 60-year-old initiative provides affordable excellence and comprehensive support to help students who have faced academic and financial barriers to higher education, many of whom are the first in their families to attend college, succeed in earning a degree.
Through SUNY’s EOP program, 106 students are supported at Alfred State this year, and more than 9,000 students are supported throughout the SUNY System (Learn more about the EOP Program at Alfred State).
"EOP has changed the lives of generations of Alfred State students by opening doors to higher education and providing the support needed to succeed,” commented Alfred State President Steven Mauro. “The increase in EOP funding creates exciting new opportunities for students to pursue careers in some of the fastest growing and most impactful industries in our economy.”
“For nearly 60 years, SUNY’s Educational Opportunity Program has supported tens of thousands of students, helping them move forward on a path to upward mobility and success,” said SUNY Chancellor King. “The program has made higher education more accessible for students throughout New York State by opening the doors for meaningful and successful careers. We are grateful for the investment from Governor Kathy Hochul and the State Legislature, and for the SUNY Board of Trustees, to help EOP students thrive.”
Since 2022, SUNY EOP enrollment has increased by 21 percent, reflecting continued demand for the program and the confidence students and families place in its supports. At the same time, the most recent SUNY EOP outcomes show strong one-year retention in Fall 2024 across every sector: doctoral-degree granting institutions reached 90.1 percent, comprehensive colleges 72.3 percent, technology colleges 65.2 percent, and community colleges 64.5 percent. These results demonstrate that when EOP is adequately resourced, students persist, campuses strengthen, and New York’s investment produces measurable returns.
SUNY has taken steps to expand the support and resources available to EOP students. In February, SUNY announced the expansion of the EOP Scholars Program to support students in nursing and teaching degree programs focused on shortage area following Chancellor King’s June 2025 commitment to expand these efforts in the fields. In 2024, SUNY expanded this program to include mental health fields and engineering, and in 2021 SUNY launched the pre-medical Educational Opportunity Program, providing EOP students with additional support and mentoring towards their path to medical school.
To further support EOP students, SUNY launched a partnership with global education company Kaplan, to offer EOP students free access to comprehensive test preparation resources over the next three years, including practice tests, for graduate-level admissions exams and professional licensure exams. In February 2025, Chancellor King announced an EOP Career Development Internship Program in partnership with state agencies to provide students with real-world professional experience and skill development within a field that aligns both with their academic pursuit and personal interests.
Since its inception in 1967, SUNY's Arthur O. Eve Educational Opportunity Program has provided access, academic support, and supplemental financial assistance to students from low-income backgrounds, many of whom are the first in their families to attend college. In its 59-year history, EOP has graduated more than 90,000 students and evolved into one of the country's most successful college access programs. EOP eligibility is based on income and academic readiness. More information about SUNY's EOP can be found here.
Mauro continued, “We are proud to be part of a system that continues to invest in student success and upward mobility. We appreciate SUNY’s continued commitment – led by the Board of Trustees and Chancellor King – to ensuring that EOP students have access not only to a college education, but also to the resources, mentoring, and career pathways that help them thrive long after graduation."