SUNY to Waive Application Fees for Two Weeks

ALBANY – The State University of New York is dropping application fees across all 64 colleges and universities for two weeks now through Sunday, Nov. 6—allowing prospective students to apply to up to five campuses completely free of charge. The application fee is usually $50 per school and the potential savings could add up to $250 per applicant.

Applicants can apply at ApplySUNY or by using the Common App.

Those who use ApplySUNY will automatically have their first five campus applications waived on the payment page. On the Common App, prospective students must apply campus by campus and select “Yes” to the question: “SUNY is having a free application week. Would you like SUNY to cover your application fee?”

“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,” said SUNY Interim Chancellor Deborah F. Stanley. “An application fee should not be the deal breaker that prevents an individual from pursuing the many benefits of a higher education. At SUNY, we are always striving to create opportunities to make college more affordable and accessible for every learner, and will continue to do so.”

Many New York State families may also qualify for free tuition through New York State’s Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) and/or Excelsior Scholarship. Fifty percent of SUNY’s full-time, in-state undergraduate students pay $0 tuition after receiving financial aid. Students may apply now for financial aid by filling out their FAFSA.

SUNY additionally has ongoing fee waivers that apply to 60 percent of all high school seniors. Students in foster care, with military connections, low-income students, and students at 500+ designated high schools can apply for up to seven SUNY campuses for free, saving up to $350 any time during the year. For more information about ongoing application fee waiver programs, please visit this link.

During the fall enrollment season, SUNY will 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.