During College Application Month, Chancellor King Announces Free Application Weeks and Fee Waivers for Students Applying to SUNY
October 19, 2026
Fifth Year of Free Application Weeks Allow Prospective SUNY Students to Apply to Up to Five Campuses at No Cost from October 19 Through November 2 Using ApplySUNY or the Common App
53 percent of NYS Resident Full-Time Undergraduate Students Attend SUNY Tuition-Free Thanks to TAP, FAFSA, and Other Financial Aid – Apply Here Today
Follows Governor Hochul's Announcement of October as New York State College Application Month
Albany, NY – State University of New York Chancellor John B. King Jr. today announced SUNY's Free Application Weeks, from October 19 to November 2. In its fifth year, the two-week free application period will allow prospective students to receive fee waivers to apply to up to five SUNY campuses. To further encourage students to find their perfect campus, SUNY will help students discover the campus and program that aligns with their interests. Governor Kathy Hochul proclaimed October as College Application Month in New York State to expand opportunities for students, especially those from low-income families, first generation students, and students facing financial barriers.
"There is a place at SUNY for every New Yorker, and we are proud to join Governor Hochul in championing initiatives that expand access to an excellent and affordable higher education," said SUNY Chancellor King. "Through our Free Application Weeks, we are further empowering students and their families as they pursue opportunities for upward mobility. I encourage all prospective students to take advantage of this incredible opportunity."
The SUNY Board of Trustees said, "Now in its fifth year, Free Application Weeks builds on SUNY's commitment to ensure all New Yorkers have access to a high-quality, affordable public higher education. We will continue to work with Governor Hochul and state leaders to remove barriers and empower our students to pursue academic excellence and achieve their dreams."
Fee waivers can be accessed through both ApplySUNY and the Common App. In the ApplySUNY application, fees for the first five campuses in an application will automatically be waived. Those applying with Common App will have to apply campus by campus. During the Free Application Weeks, students applying using the Common App will be prompted to select "yes" for the fee waiver, for up to five SUNY schools.
In addition to Free Application Weeks, SUNY also offers ongoing fee waivers that apply to 60 percent of all high school seniors, particularly students attending high schools with large numbers of free and reduced lunch recipients, students from low-income households, students in foster care, and students with military connections. More information about fee waiver initiatives can be found here.
Free Application Weeks are part of SUNY's ongoing efforts to increase accessibility to higher education and make college more affordable for students and their families. Earlier this month, Chancellor King kicked off the opening of applications for the 2027-2028 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form at SUNY Broome. In September, the College Access Ambassadors program was announced to leverage the expertise of high school counselors to assist aspiring and incoming college students across the state in completing necessary financial aid paperwork. SUNY is also hosting virtual and in-person FAFSA completion workshops, held in both English and Spanish, to help families complete the FAFSA. Through the SUNY FAFSA Completion Corps, an AmeriCorps funded program, SUNY students support prospective students and their families with FAFSA completion.
About the State University of New York
The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, and more than 95 percent of all New Yorkers live within 30 miles of any one of SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the country’s oldest school of maritime, the state's only college of optometry, 12 Educational Opportunity Centers, over 30 ATTAIN digital literacy labs, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.7 million students across its portfolio of credit- and non-credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic research in New York. Research expenditures system-wide are nearly $1.5 billion in fiscal year 2025, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There are more than three million SUNY alumni worldwide, and annually one in three New Yorkers who earn a college degree is a SUNY alum. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunities, visit suny.edu.
Share this:
Holly Liapis
518-320-1311
Email the Office of Communications
