Fri. Nov 8th, 2024
State University of New York is hoping to provide all students with a chance to be college-educated through free applications for a limited time.
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: SUNY system waives college application fees for two weeks

Audrey Glynn: Today marks the first day of Free Application Weeks, a two-week period where application fees are waived for the State University of New York system. With this initiative, students can choose from many New York State campuses.

Kitty McCarthy: “Any undergraduate student applying during these two weeks can apply to up to five campuses for free.”

Glynn: According to Peterson’s Data, the average cost of a college application is about $50. Executive enrollment officer at SUNY ESF Kitty McCarthy says when the initiative was introduced last year, the impact was immediately felt.

McCarthy: “For Fall ‘23, we saw about a 40% increase in first-year applications compared to Fall ‘22. That jump, and that we’ve been able to sustain that significant, big increase, has been very important to ESF.”

Glynn: The Free Application Weeks are bigger than just increased applications at an earlier date. The initiative strives to provide all New York students with a chance to be college-educated.

Glynn: In a statement announcing the initiative’s second year, Governor Kathy Hochul said, “We’re empowering students across the state to take the first step toward achieving their educational and career goals while removing the financial obstacles that may deter students from pursuing higher education.”

McCarthy: “Part of the objective of the whole initiative is to encourage students who might not have considered college at all, in part because of cost, to say, “You know what, I can do this.”

Glynn: While the initiative supports the hopes and dreams of prospective students, the universities and colleges themselves benefit from the system’s fee waivers.

McCarthy: “You need a larger applicant base to be able to grow enrollment, and so some growth is again really helpful to our overall goals to grow enrollment, and so that’s where ESF hopes to be.”

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — This week marks the beginning of Free Application Weeks, an initiative that allows prospective undergraduate students to apply to State University of New York schools for free. The SUNY and CUNY schools are waiving application fees until Nov. 3 as part of College Application Month.

“Any undergraduate student applying during these two weeks can apply to up to five campuses for free,” said Kitty McCarthy, the SUNY Environmental Science and Forestry executive enrollment officer.

The program aims to provide exposure to campuses across the state, while also allowing students who might be hesitant to pursue higher education to give it a chance.

“Part of the objective of the whole initiative is to encourage students who might not have considered college at all, in part because of cost, to say, ‘You know what, I can do this,'” said McCarthy.

According to college application statistics collected by Peterson’s Data, the average cost of a college application, public or private school, is around $50. SUNY schools provide in-state students with lower cost tuition than out-of-state students, but this initiative addresses financial hesitation at its earliest, the actual application process.

“We’re empowering students across the state to take the first step toward achieving their educational and career goals while removing the financial obstacles that may deter students from pursuing higher education,” said Gov. Kathy Hochul when announcing the Free Application Weeks.

The empowerment to students isn’t the only benefits of the waived fees. It also provides visibility and traffic to the schools themselves, driving students to apply to more schools at an earlier date.

“For Fall 2023, we saw about a 40% increase in first-year applications compared to Fall 2022,” said McCarthy. “That jump, and that we’ve been able to sustain that significant big increase has been very important to ESF.”

ESF is a unique SUNY since it provides such specialized study, unlike many other SUNY campuses. An opportunity to continue having increased numbers of applications has been positive for the Central New York school.

“You need a larger applicant base to be able to grow enrollment, and so some growth is again really helpful to our overall goals to grow enrollment, and so that’s where ESF hopes to be,” said McCarthy.

There are 64 SUNY campuses across New York, allowing prospective undergraduate students to explore their future opportunities all over the state, for free, until Nov. 3.

For more information on campus visits and degree options, visit suny.edu/go.