A follow-up audit by the New York State Comptroller’s Office has found that the State University of New York (SUNY) continues to lack proper verification of student residency for in-state tuition, potentially resulting in over $232,000 in undercharges at four campuses.
The report, released Tuesday, reviewed SUNY’s implementation of recommendations from a 2022 audit that identified over $1.3 million in misclassified tuition charges. Despite some improvements, auditors found that 85% of sampled graduate student tuition assessments still lacked sufficient documentation to justify in-state tuition rates.
SUNY policy requires campuses to obtain proof of domicile—such as voter registration, tax returns, or a driver’s license—before granting in-state tuition. However, the audit revealed that multiple campuses, including the University at Buffalo and SUNY Brockport, continue to rely solely on students’ self-reported residency status.
“SUNY has made some progress, but more needs to be done to ensure that students are being charged correctly,” the report stated. While the system provided campuses with a policy flowchart, auditors noted it did not address the need for sufficient proof of residency.
SUNY officials disputed the findings, arguing that the policy only recommends, rather than mandates, three forms of documentation. The comptroller’s office, however, maintained that failure to obtain such proof undermines SUNY’s ability to ensure accurate tuition rates.
The audit also found that while SUNY has implemented a requirement to retain residency documents for six years, most campuses are not collecting documentation in the first place. The University at Buffalo was the only school in the sample that maintained residency records for a portion of its students.
The comptroller’s office urged SUNY to take stronger steps to enforce compliance, warning that continued inconsistencies in residency determinations could cost the state significant revenue.
SUNY has 30 days to respond to the audit’s findings and outline any corrective actions.
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