NY A10540

Establishes an automatic application program administered by the State Department of Education for graduating high school students to apply to State University of New York (SUNY) and City University of New York (CUNY).

Creates a centralized academic database that provides online accounts to students beginning senior year, with demographic and academic information preloaded from data available to the department.

Requires students meeting department-established standards to be accepted for admission to SUNY and CUNY; students may decline participation before junior year or at any point in the process, and retain sole discretion over final submission.

Mandates compliance with the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, requiring express student consent (or parental consent for students under 18) before sharing personal information with external entities.

Requires the Department to publish annual reports assessing program effectiveness, disaggregated by race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, geographic location, and high school institution, and to promote the program to high schools and the public.