Authorizes a fee waiver for applications to SUNY and CUNY if a prospective student, either a high school senior, or a person completing a gap year, submits and completes the FAFSA form.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
4260
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 31, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. CUNNINGHAM -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A.
ALVAREZ, GIBBS -- read once and referred to the Committee on Higher
Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to fee waivers for appli-
cations to the state university of New York and the city university of
New York
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Section 209-a of the education law, as added by chapter 926
2 of the laws of 1968, is amended to read as follows:
3 § 209-a. Applications for admission to college. 1. Notwithstanding
4 any other provision of this chapter to the contrary, no rule or regu-
5 lation shall be adopted by the school authorities, school officers or
6 board of education of a school district which limits the number of
7 requests for the processing of college applications that may be submit-
8 ted by the pupils in a secondary school under their or its jurisdiction.
9 Nothing contained in this section shall prohibit school authorities,
10 school officers or boards of education from establishing rules of proce-
11 dure for the submission of such requests.
12 2. (a) If a pupil in the final year of high school or in a gap year
13 completes and submits the free application for federal student aid
14 (FAFSA), such pupil shall be awarded a fee waiver for application to the
15 state university of New York.
16 (b) For the purposes of this subdivision, the term "gap year" shall
17 mean the first year after high school graduation.
18 3. The state university trustees shall adopt any rules and regulations
19 necessary for the administration of this section, including, but not
20 limited to, specifying the form and timelines for submitting the fee
21 waiver for application.
22 § 2. The education law is amended by adding a new section 6303-b to
23 read as follows:
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD06557-01-5
A. 4260 2
1 § 6303-b. Fee waiver for application. 1. If a pupil in the final year
2 of high school or in a gap year completes and submits the free applica-
3 tion for federal student aid (FAFSA), such pupil shall be awarded a fee
4 waiver for application to the city university of New York.
5 2. For the purposes of this section, the term "gap year" shall mean
6 the first year after high school graduation.
7 3. The state university trustees shall adopt any rules and regulations
8 necessary for the administration of this section, including, but not
9 limited to, specifying the form and timelines for submitting the fee
10 waiver for application.
11 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
