http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/27/nyregion/cuny-application-fee-to-be-waived-for-low-income-students.html 2016-09-27 04:54:27 CUNY Application Fee to Be Waived for Low-Income Students The initiative, which applies to New York City public school students, is part of an effort by the city to encourage more young people to go to college. === New York City public school students from low-income families will no longer have to pay a fee to apply to the Under the initiative, all high school students who meet one of a handful of criteria will be able to apply to CUNY free. The city estimated that the change will affect 37,500 students, up from about 6,500 students in recent years. More than half of the city’s public school students who enroll in college attend CUNY schools. The application fee is $65 per student, but Mayor “I want to remind you that $65 is a lot of money for many families in New York City,” Mr. de Blasio, a Democrat, said at a news conference at The change will take effect during this fall’s application season. In the past, CUNY granted fee waivers to students with the greatest need, according to the city’s Education Department. Now, any student who qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, who is homeless or in foster care, or whose family lives in federally subsidized public housing or receives public assistance will automatically be given a waiver. Undocumented students in those categories will also be eligible. The city’s schools chancellor, Carmen Fariña, said students would not need to apply to skip the fee, so this requires no extra step. Mr. de Blasio’s office said it expected the initiative to cost $2.4 million a year. The city will pay $2 million, and CUNY will cover the remaining $400,000. The move is part of the de Blasio administration’s effort to improve college access for city students. The Education Department has started taking middle school students on trips to local colleges, to get them thinking early about higher education. This year, 20,000 students are expected to make such visits. And this school year, the SAT “As the chancellor just said to me a moment ago,” Mr. de Blasio said, “the combination of free SAT tests and free application to CUNY, that’s a really big one-two punch. We need to create a momentum, in the entire school system, that each and every child has an opportunity to go to college.”