No-fee applications at up to 5 of SUNY's 64 campuses offered to prospective students through Nov. 6
Students can submit applications for free at as many as five State University of New York campuses, including Stony Brook University, through Nov. 6. Credit: Howard Schnapp
Prospective students applying for admission to as many as five of the State University of New York's 64 colleges and universities will pay no fees for the next two weeks through Nov. 6, officials announced Wednesday.
The potential savings for students could add up to $250 per applicant, SUNY said.
Long Island has five SUNY campuses: Stony Brook University, SUNY Old Westbury, Farmingdale State College, Nassau Community College and Suffolk Community College.
"Waiving application fees provides yet another incentive for prospective students to seek out academic opportunities without the barriers that so often discourage them from pursuing higher education," SUNY interim Chancellor Deborah Stanley said in a statement. "An application fee should not be the deal breaker that prevents an individual from pursuing the many benefits of a higher education."
The fee waiver is available only to potential students applying through ApplySUNY, where the costs will be waived automatically, or by using the Common App, where applicants must select "yes" to the question of whether they want "SUNY to cover your application fee?"
SUNY offered a single week of free applications in the spring of 2020 and 2021 — and individual campuses have in the past had similar programs — but this is the first time the statewide waiver was extended for two weeks, said SUNY spokeswoman Holly Liapis.
Low-income students, as well as those in foster care, with military connections and those attending more than 500 designated high schools can already apply to up to seven SUNY campuses for free, saving up to $350, officials said. Those programs, SUNY said, apply to 60% of all high school seniors.
During the fall enrollment season, SUNY said it would also launch an out-of-state tuition match option, where applicants in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Illinois, and California are eligible to receive their in-state tuition and fees at a SUNY school.
Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.
