College Admission Help

College Tuition Tips: Affordable City, State Schools Become More Popular In Gaining College Admission
By Tara Lynn Wagner
New York 1 Living
With college tuition on the rise and the economy in a slump, many families are turning to public schools to give their children a more affordable higher education. NY1's Money Matter reporter Tara Lynn Wagner filed this fourth report in an eight-part series on paying for a college education.
Richard Alvarez says he has the greatest job in the world. As university director of the City University of New York (CUNY), he says he gets to say "yes" to everyone.
"Every student who graduates from high school, whether it's in New York State or anywhere else in the country, can enter the university," says Alvarez.
Lately, more and more students are knocking on CUNY's open door, beginning with their two-year programs. Applications are up more than 12 percent, in part because tuition is just $4,000 a year.
That means the neediest students who qualify for state and federal grants could feasibly get a CUNY education tuition free.
Since students can apply to six schools at once, college counselor Jackie Kucker of Benjamin Cardozo High School says she encourages all her students to apply.
"CUNY is a bargain, it's an absolute bargain. It's a wonderful education and it's very, very reasonable," says Kucker.
The State University of New York has also seen an application surge of almost 25 percent in the last five years, even despite an increase in tuition.
"The SUNY system tuition has been raised to $4,660, so we're still under the national average for state systems," says Jonathan White, the dean of admissions for SUNY Maritime College.
Growing interest in public schools is creating several changes on campus. One money-saving strategy saw students attending a state or city school for two years before transferring to a private school, but that trend is waning.
"There are more students who are opting to stay at CUNY to complete their education, and we're also seeing a growth in our graduate programs," says Alvarez.
Experts say some 80 percent of American college students are getting their education at a public school, and they say that education isn't all that different from what they'd get at a private school.
In fact, in some cases it's almost exactly the same.
"The same faculty that teach at four-year schools are actually teaching at these community colleges, so you're getting the same education," says White. "Once you get past the Ivies, English is English, business is business, psychology is psychology."
Of course, more applications mean tougher competition at more selective schools. Several CUNY schools have raised their admission standards and since out-of-state students pay nearly twice as much, they are casting a wider net when recruiting.
CUNY continues to accommodate everyone, but officials say they are keeping a watchful eye on student-faculty ratios.
"We are concerned that we are reaching a point where without additional assistance from the city and the state that we are going to reach enrollment cap. We're not there yet," says Alvarez.


College Tuition Tips: Affordable City, State Schools Become More Popular In Gaining College Admission