Mayor DeBlasio came to Mapleton to announce he’s waiving a fee for low-income students entering city colleges on Sept. 26.
Hizzoner broke the news outside of Franklin Delano Roosevelt High School, a campus that will greatly benefit, because it sends a large number of low-income students to city universities, he said.
“A huge, huge number of students who graduated from FDR went to [City University of New York] schools,” DeBlasio said. “CUNY is where more than half of our public school students go to college. It’s an important opportunity for most public school students, and FDR is a crucial example of that.”
Students who are homeless, living in public housing or foster care, receive free or reduced-price lunch, or whose families receive public assistance can apply to up to six city colleges without having to pay the $65 application fee. Undocumented students are also eligible if they meet the financial criteria.
The double-digit waiver may sound like small change, but it adds up for families who are scraping by, the mayor said.
“I want to remind you $65 dollars is a lot of money for many families in New York City,” said DeBlasio. “It’s part of the choices that they make all the time: Are they putting money into rent? Are they putting money into food? Sixty-five dollars matters, so for our young people with families, knowing that fee is eliminated just clears the way and encourages students.”
The Department of Education is providing schools with lists of eligible students, and school administrators will be responsible for apprising them of the waivers.
An estimated 11,000 Brooklyn high-school seniors will qualify — up from 1,978 who received the waiver last year when qualifications were more restrictive, according to data from the mayor’s office.
The initiative will cost $2.4 million annually — taxpayers and the City University of New York system are splitting the cost, officials said.
