What you should know
- CUNY announced that it will waive the $65 application fee for New York City public high school students who apply between March 1 and April 15 to attend a CUNY college in fall 2023.
- The fee waiver initiative is part of CUNY’s multi-pronged approach to doubling down on the university’s historic mandate to expand access to higher education, especially for first-generation students, immigrants and working-class black and Latino New Yorkers.
- New York City public school seniors can learn more about the fee waiver here.
NEW YORK — Good news for those looking to enter New York’s public university system.
Indeed, CUNY has announced that it will waive the $65 application fee for New York public high school seniors who apply between March 1 and April 15 to attend a CUNY college in the fall of 2023.
“We are trying to motivate older people who are still reluctant to apply to college to take this important step towards their future for free. We are also removing a financial barrier that has deterred many students from applying,” said CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez. “This initiative is an example of how the University and New York City Public Schools have a powerful partnership and are working together to help make the transition from high school to CUNY seamless.”
The fee waiver initiative is part of CUNY’s multi-pronged approach to doubling down on the university’s historic mandate to expand access to higher education, especially for first-generation students, immigrants and working-class black and Latino New Yorkers they bore the hardest hit by the pandemic and were hardest hit by the ensuing drop in enrollment.
This six-week initiative applies to all New York City public school seniors who graduate between January and August 2023 and plan to start college in the fall of 2023. About 82 percent of New York City freshmen CUNY attended public schools in the city.
CUNY already waives application fees for thousands of eligible public school students across the city each year, including those who are homeless or in foster care; live in subsidized social housing or receive public assistance. Currently, eligible students must apply for a one-time fee waiver code generated by the CUNY Office of Undergraduate Admissions and distributed through their academic advisors.
This six-week fee waiver will cast a much wider net, allowing all New York public school seniors to apply at no cost, without having to apply for a waiver code and regardless of family financial circumstances. The free app is meant to empower thousands of seniors who have come to believe that college is not an option and have yet to apply.
The program will also free high school counselors from handing out fee waiver codes, allowing them to spend more time helping students choose a CUNY college that matches their academic profile and career goals. .
New York City public school seniors can learn more about the fee waiver here.