Objective

To determine whether the State University of New York (SUNY) has efficient and effective oversight of its study abroad programs throughout its campuses. The audit covered the period from January 2018 through June 2025.

About the Program

SUNY Study Abroad Programs (SAPs) include exchange, non-exchange, and faculty-led programs that allow SUNY students the opportunity to participate in educational opportunities globally. The SUNY Office of Global Affairs (SUNY OGA) is responsible for the oversight of SAPs across the SUNY network. SUNY OGA provides strategic planning, policy development, coordination, and incubation of system-wide global initiatives. Each SUNY campus is responsible for administering and monitoring its own SAPs, including entering into agreements with foreign partner institutions that outline the terms for exchanging students. SUNY OGA reviews new SAPs, leads the development and revision of relevant policies, and supports the campuses in coordinating and promoting study abroad throughout the system. SUNY SAPs operate in a consortium that allows both SUNY and non-SUNY students to participate in SAPs offered within the SUNY network. This allows SAPs to be easily accessible and gives students the opportunity to participate in various global learning experiences regardless of their home institution. During the 2023–24 academic year, 26 SUNY campuses administered 508 SAPs in 67 countries that served 3,304 students. However, participation in SAPs is down by 42% from pre-pandemic levels. During the 2018–19 academic year, SUNY SAPs served 5,671 students across 79 countries.

Key Findings

• Overall, SUNY OGA generally ensured campuses had agreements in place with the foreign institutions they partnered with and had documentation available to support the payments made on behalf of participating students and faculty. However, we determined that SUNY OGA could improve its oversight of SAPs in certain areas.
• 12 of 104 agreements were not submitted by one campus to SUNY OGA for review and approval. Six of the 12 were not submitted to SUNY OGA at all and did not have evidence of SUNY OGA review and approval. The other six agreements were not submitted until March and April 2025, after our audit started and SUNY OGA reminded campuses to do so. Automated reminders from SUNY OGA to campuses about partnership agreements approaching expiration were not received by officials at one campus, and SUNY OGA did not have any procedures in place to follow up with campuses to ensure they were received.
• 16 of 104 agreements lapsed at some point during our audit period. The expired agreements included 11 that had been expired for more than 24 months. Officials cited a variety of issues, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, staff turnover, and signature delays, that prevented timely renewal of agreements. Consequently, campuses sent 258 students abroad during our audit scope under the lapsed agreements.

Key Recommendations

• Develop policies and procedures for tracking and monitoring campus SAP agreements to ensure they are submitted timely.
• Work with campuses to ensure SAP agreements approaching expiration are renegotiated timely to prevent students from being sent abroad under expired agreements.