Frequently Asked Questions

SUNY Empire State College was established in 1971 by the SUNY Board of Trustees and then-chancellor and future United States Commissioner of Education Ernest L. Boyer as a distinctive statewide SUNY institution focused on nontraditional teaching and learning, where college faculty mentors guide learners through designing an individual degree program within 12 broad areas.

Further, the college continues its 40-year commitment to valuing learning gained from life and work experience, and has a clear process for assessing and awarding credit for college-level learning gained through experience.

Accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, the college serves mostly working adults pursuing associate, bachelor’s and master’s degrees on-site at 35 locations in New York state and abroad, as well as online everywhere.

You can study in the following ways:

• through guided independent study, working one-to-one with a faculty mentor at times convenient for the two of you
• through online learning
• through small seminars, study groups, residencies or cross registration at other colleges – whatever suits your interests and lifestyle
• through a combination of all these ways.

The college offers the associate and bachelor’s degrees in the liberal arts and sciences and career fields in 12 undergraduate areas of study: the arts; business, management and economics; community and human services; cultural studies; educational studies; historical studies; human development; interdisciplinary studies; labor studies; public affairs; science, mathematics and technology; and social theory, social structure and change.

The college offers six master’s degree programs, two covering policy studies (Master of Arts in Labor and Policy Studies, Master of Arts in Social Policy); a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies; a Master of Business Administration; a Master of Arts in Teaching degree, offered in selected urban areas across New York state, which enables students to earn their teacher certification; and a Master of Arts in Adult Learning.

The college offers several advanced-certificate programs in health-care management, nonprofit management, project management, human resource management and public history, through the School for Graduate Studies.

The faculty at Empire State College recognize that adults have many opportunities for valuable learning in their everyday lives and work.

When this prior learning is college level, it can be identified through an evaluative process designed to determine whether it is worthy of college credit.

Many students also earn credit via national standardized examinations.

If you apply by the priority-application deadline, you are considered for the upcoming term. If you apply after the priority-application deadline, you will be considered on a space-available basis or for the next term. The priority-application deadlines for each term are:

• September Term – June 1
• November Term – Sept. 1
• January Term – Nov. 1
• March Term – Jan. 1
• May Term – March 1

Students may start their studies after completing an orientation session (in person at a center or unit, or online for Center for Distance Learning students). The college offers a five-term academic calendar. The calendar features four 15-week terms (that begin in September, November, January and March), and a fifth term, beginning in May, that offers the option of an 8-week or 15-week session.

This academic calendar has one goal in mind – to help you, as an Empire State College student, achieve academic success and earn your degree.

A bachelor’s degree requires that you complete 128 credits, while an associate degree requires 64 credits. Generally, students complete their degrees in two to five years, studying part time. The amount of time may vary depending on how much credit you transfer and the type of degree program you design.

Full-time in-state undergraduate tuition is $2,785 per term (effective with the January 2013 term).

For a complete breakout of undergraduate and graduate tuition charges by credit and fees, please visit the college’s tuition webpages.

The college’s Harry Van Arsdale Jr. Center for Labor Studies houses the most comprehensive labor program of its kind in the United States and has been addressing the needs of trade unionists and others interested in labor-related issues since 1972.

Many labor leaders across New York state can be counted among the center’s graduates. All of the college’s 11 areas of study are available at The Harry Van Arsdale Jr. Center for Labor Studies.

The RN to B.S. in Nursing is a flexible online program to prepare tomorrow’s leaders in nursing; promote excellent patient care and community health; and enhance retention and career advancement of highly trained nurses. This program is for registered nurses who hold associate degrees or diplomas and wish to continue their nursing education.

Yes, Empire State College students are eligible for a number of state and federal grants as well as college foundation scholarships. More than 50 percent of our students receive financial assistance.