The SUNY system may not be sustainable if support from state taxes doesn't continue to increase, according to a report from SUNY officials on long-term enrollment and financial sustainability.

The report shows that for the first time in a decade, the total enrollment in the SUNY system increased from fall 2022 to fall 2023. First-time undergraduate enrollment also rose 4.3% across the SUNY system. However, compared to a decade ago, the number of students enrolling is down almost 100,000.

The report forecasts a stark increase in expenditures - to an expected $6.9 billion - by the 2033-34 school year. The report says revenue from the state is the SUNY system's largest source of funding. If there is "no investment in resources beyond the committed increases in the State's current financial plan," the report says, SUNY would face a $1.1 billion annual shortfall at the end of this period. The shortfall would be lessened to $89.1 million annually with what the report calls "reasonable, predictable, ongoing increases in resources."

If SUNY does not receive the needed state tax support, it could resort to tuition and fee increases to make up the difference.