Governor Andrew M. Cuomo has directed SUNY and CUNY to assist students with college-related expenses during the prolonged federal shutdown. According to a release by the Governor’s office, payments for tuition and related college expenses will be postponed, and no late fees or penalties will be charged to impacted students. This temporary reprieve will apply to federal employees, dependents of federal employees, and students who are dependent on loans from the federal government that may be delayed.
“As the federal shutdown continues to devastate the hardworking men and women of this country, New York’s students are among those hit hardest by Washington’s inaction,” Governor Cuomo said. “We will not stand idly by as the federal administration undermines students’ ability to achieve a higher education, and today’s action will help ensure furloughed federal workers and their families get the support they need during this precarious time.”
“While Trump puts people’s lives at risk and the longest federal shutdown in U.S. history continues, we are stepping up to help New Yorkers,” said Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul. “By postponing payments for tuition and other expenses, students can still receive the education they deserve and families who are impacted by the shutdown can get the assistance they need as they face this hardship.”
SUNY and CUNY leadership will work with their respective campuses to make financial arrangements for impacted students and their families, the Governor’s office said.
The move follows the Governor’s call for the New York State Department of Labor to provide increased support to workers seeking unemployment insurance benefits and the State’s Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance to help those working without pay apply for and obtain public assistance benefits.
SUNY Chancellor Kristina M. Johnson said, “As the shutdown continues, our campuses have taken extraordinary efforts to accommodate our students, letting them know there are resources to help them return to their studies. We expect to welcome all our students back in the coming days, and are pleased to help our campuses make that possible. No one should stay home for fear of an extended federal shutdown.”
CUNY Interim Chancellor Vita C. Rabinowitz said, “We want to assure CUNY students whose families depend on paychecks from federal agencies that the one thing they should not worry about is their tuition payments and other college expenses. The shutdown is forcing so many in New York and across the country to confront financial adversity, but we are committed to opening the new semester without disruption, regardless of the situation in Washington.”
The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, with 64 college and university campuses located within 30 miles of every home, school, and business in the state. As of Fall 2018, nearly 425,000 students were enrolled in a degree program at a SUNY campus. In total, SUNY served 1.4 million students in credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs in the 2017-18 academic year. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic research in New York. Its students and faculty make significant contributions to research and discovery, contributing to a $1.6 billion research portfolio. There are 3 million SUNY alumni worldwide, and one in three New Yorkers with a college degree is a SUNY alum. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunity, visit www.suny.edu.
The City University of New York is the nation’s leading urban public university. Founded in 1847, CUNY counts 13 Nobel Prize and 23 MacArthur (“Genius”) grant winners among its alumni. CUNY students, alumni and faculty have garnered scores of other prestigious honors over the years in recognition of historic contributions to the advancement of the sciences, business, the arts and myriad other fields. The University comprises 25 institutions: 11 senior colleges, seven community colleges, William E. Macaulay Honors College at CUNY, CUNY Graduate Center, Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY, CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies, CUNY School of Law, CUNY School of Professional Studies and CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy. The University serves more than 275,000 degree-seeking students. CUNY offers online baccalaureate and master’s degrees through the School of Professional Studies.
