N.Y. Education Law § 6303 (2026)

§ 6303. Programs and curricula of community colleges. 1. Community
colleges shall provide two-year programs of post high school nature
combining general education with technical education relating to the
occupational needs of the community, area or community college region in
which the college is located and those of the state and the nation
generally. Special courses and extension work may be provided for
part-time students.
  2. Training for certain occupational skills may be limited to selected
community colleges by the state university trustees in order to avoid
unnecessary duplication or overlapping of facilities and programs.
  3. The curricula in community colleges shall be designed to serve the
needs of students who seek two years of post secondary education and
whose needs would not ordinarily be met by the usual four-year college
curriculum. However, such colleges shall nevertheless provide sufficient
general education to enable qualified students who so desire to transfer
after completion of the community college program to institutions
providing regular four-year courses except that the provision of such
general education sufficient for transfer to institutions providing
regular four-year courses shall be at the option of the local sponsor in
any of the community colleges established upon discontinuance of a state
institute of applied arts and sciences and upon discontinuance of the
veterans vocational school at Troy pursuant to the provisions of section
fifty-nine hundred nine of former article one hundred nineteen of this
chapter.
  4. The curricula of the community colleges shall be developed with the
assistance and guidance of the state university trustees and shall be
subject to their approval, and such modifications, amendments and
revisions as they may from time to time prescribe.
  5. Notwithstanding the provisions of any other general, special or
local law, rule or regulation, community colleges may permit persons
sixty years of age or over to audit courses given therein without
tuition, examination, grading or credit therefor upon a space available
basis, subject to the provisions of section sixty-three hundred four of
this chapter, as determined by the president of each such institution,
provided that such audit attendance does not deny course attendance at a
community college by an individual who is otherwise qualified under the
regulations and the provisions of section sixty-three hundred four of
this chapter. The provisions of this paragraph shall not affect any
state aid to community colleges granted pursuant to article one hundred
twenty-six of this chapter.
  6. Notwithstanding the provisions of any other general, special or
local law, rule or regulation, each community college, or the entity or
entities responsible for setting tuition at such institution, shall be
authorized to set a reduced rate of tuition and/or fees, or to waive
tuition and/or fees entirely, for students participating in any dual or
concurrent enrollment program with no reduction in other state, local,
or other support for such students earning college credit that such
higher education partner would otherwise be eligible to receive;
provided that, for purposes of this provision, a dual or concurrent
enrollment program shall mean one or more college courses taken by a
high school student through a community college while such student is
still enrolled in high school or boards of cooperative educational
services and for which the student may receive both high school and
college credit.