Requires the department of education create an online database of seats available for non-public and public institutions who offer college opportunity programs and provide such information to authorized high school counselors.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A5400
SPONSOR: Raga TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the education law, in relation to requiring the depart-
ment of education to create a database tracking college opportunity
program seats at non-public and public institutions
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
The New York State Education Department will create a database that
showcases how many college opportunity program seats are available at
each public and private college and university. The database will be
updated by higher education institutions every time they reach a twen-
ty-percent incremental threshold. The database will be accessible to
public high school academic counselors so they can help advise students
when they are choosing which higher educational institute to attend.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 Subdivision 6 of section 6451 of the education law renumbered
subdivision 7 and a new subdivision 6 is added to require the creation
of a database that tracks college opportunity program seats at private
higher education systems.
Section 2 Section 6452 of the education law is amended by adding a new
subdivision 6 to require the creation of a database that tracks college
opportunity program seats at private higher education systems.
JUSTIFICATION:
New York State's (NYS) College Opportunity Programs (COP) are vital
programs offered at colleges and universities designed to help support
students academically and financially who might otherwise be unable to
attend higher education due to academic or financial circumstances.
While the names of these COPs vary-Search for Education, Elevation, and
Knowledge (SEEK) College Discovery, Educational Opportunity Program,
Higher Education Opportunity Program-they all offer essentially the same
benefits. The benefits of these programs include:
(1) Academic, career, and personal advising;
(2) Tutoring;
(3) Financial support for books and tuition;
(4) A summer bridge program that helps students prepare for the college
experience.
As of now, there is no database or requirement for colleges and univer-
sities to inform high school counselors on how many spots of COPs
colleges have left to offer students. This often leads to highschool
counselors having to rely on word of mouth, resulting in the information
to be received too late or already out-dated. As some students choose
their higher education on whether a COP seat is available, knowledge of
the remaining seats is extremely instrumental in helping students make
informed decisions.
Mandating NYSED to create a database will provide school counselors the
information that is necessary to advise their students, and will provide
economically and academically disadvantaged students with the transpar-
ency they need to traverse the road to higher education.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New legislation.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
5400
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 13, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. RAGA -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to requiring the depart-
ment of education to create a database tracking college opportunity
program seats at non-public and public institutions
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Subdivision 6 of section 6451 of the education law is
2 renumbered subdivision 7 and a new subdivision 6 is added to read as
3 follows:
4 6. The commissioner shall establish a database requiring non-public
5 institutions transmit the number of seats such non-public institutions
6 have available for prospective students relying on the provisions of
7 this section. Such database shall be available on a website created by
8 the department and shall:
9 (a) be available to authorized high school counselors;
10 (b) include each non-public institution's application guidelines and
11 deadlines;
12 (c) be updated every time a non-public institution reaches a certain
13 threshold of seats taken, which shall follow increments of twenty
14 percent of seats taken until all such seats are filled;
15 (d) include ease of access accommodations for those with disabilities
16 as well as an arrangement of interactive hyperlinks; and
17 (e) be updated annually on the first day of March or at the close of
18 each non-public institution's application deadline.
19 § 2. Section 6452 of the education law is amended by adding a new
20 subdivision 6 to read as follows:
21 6. The trustees shall establish a database requiring public insti-
22 tutions transmit the number of seats such public institutions have
23 available for prospective students relying on the provisions of this
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04136-01-5
A. 5400 2
1 section. Such database shall be available on a website created by the
2 department and shall:
3 (a) be available to authorized high school counselors;
4 (b) include each public institution's application guidelines and dead-
5 lines;
6 (c) be updated every time a public institution reaches a certain
7 threshold of seats taken, which shall follow increments of twenty
8 percent of seats taken until all such seats are filled;
9 (d) include ease of access accommodations for those with disabilities
10 as well as an arrangement of interactive hyperlinks; and
11 (e) be updated annually on the first day of March or at the close of
12 each public institution's application deadline.
13 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
