Westchester County Offers Residents Certificates to Reduce College Tuition Costs
Westchester residents can reduce their cost of tuition at community colleges outside of the County.
Certificates of Residence, which can be obtained from the Department of Finance, qualify students for residential rates at two-year SUNY and CUNY colleges. So far, 1,742 certificates have been issued in 2018. That number is expected to be closer to 2,000 as students begin to submit applications for the Spring 2019 semester.
Commissioner of Finance Ann Marie Berg said the department has seen an increase in the number of applications over the last few years.
Berg said: “With online classes it’s even more popular because people can easily take classes outside of the County.”
Students have a 90-day window, 60 days before and 30 days after the start of the semester, to apply for a certificate and send it to their schools. Each certificate is valid for one year and one school. If students take classes at more than one school they must apply for multiple certificates.
“There is no cost involved to get the certificate,” said Berg. “If you meet the resident requirement for Westchester and New York State and are attending a community college outside of Westchester County you’ll get the financial benefit.”
Students, who have lived in Westchester for six months, and New York State for one year, qualify for the Program.
Applications can be found on the Department of Finance’s website and must be submitted by mail.
