SUNY Geneseo to partner with the University of Rochester
4+1 acceleration programs will allow undergraduate students to begin earning graduate school credits faster.
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On Feb. 17, 2026, SUNY Geneseo announced it would be partnering with the University of Rochester’s Simon Business School. This is a move aimed to expand academic opportunity and reduce both the cost and time required to earn advanced degrees. Mary C. Toale, Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs at Geneseo was quoted on the SUNY Geneseo website, saying, “Our partnership with the Simon Business School expands meaningful pathways for Geneseo students and strengthens our commitment to their academic and professional success.” Toale is a first-generation college graduate who has more than 25 years of experience in higher education. She is highlighted for her initiatives “to advance equity centered approaches to the holistic development of students, faculty, and staff, increase institutional effectiveness, and enhance shared governance and collaboration,” as shared in her profile on Geneseo’s website.
Under the agreement with the University of Rochester, which is detailed the article on the partnership on Geneseo’s website, eligible students may apply as early as the spring of their junior year or upon first-year matriculation, so long as the student has received a cumulative GPA of 3.25 or higher and completed one calculus plus one statistics course at Geneseo. When admitted to 4+1 accelerated programs like this one, participants can then take up to three graduate courses at Simon during their senior year that will then count toward their undergraduate degree as well as their Master of Science (MS) degree without paying extra tuition to Simon.
Admitted students will also receive a 30 percent tuition discount on their graduate studies at Simon, in addition to other scholarships, grants, and financial aid. Simon’s full-time master’s tuition is roughly between 49,000 to 78,000 dollars per year, depending on the program, according to the school’s official website. A 30 percent tuition reduction could save students around 20,000 to 23,000 percent in costs alone. This does not take into account the factors of living expenses which can crop up during the potential “9 to 16 months,” as per the Simon Business School, that a student would need to earn all their credits for an MS at Simon without using this pathway.
The Simon Business School partnership is just one among Geneseo’s most recent dives into this type of program. This seems to be a good investment for the college, as, according to statistics taken by US News and the World Report , 16 percent of the graduates are business, management, or related majors. This makes those majors a large chunk of Geneseo graduates business related, only second to education majors. However, outside of the fact that Geneseo has a large amount of business related majors, there has also been an ongoing movement at SUNY schools to help create accelerated programs to reduce the time and total cost of higher education, such as the Accelerated Pathway Program in SUNY New Paltz, which has been ongoing since 2024.
By offering such a streamlined admission process through programs such as these, the collaboration provides students with a new clear and cost-efficient way to graduate education in business. For Geneseo students considering careers in analytics, finance, consulting, or newly emerging AI-driven business fields, the partnership represents not only a future academic advantage but also a financial investment for their future.