Qualifying for In-State Tuition

This webpage contains excerpts from the CUNY Undocumented & Immigrant Student Programs website. The entire chapter on CUNY Tuition & Fee Manual’s policy on Residency (chapter IV) is available for review at:
http://www2.cuny.edu/about/administration/offices/legal-affairs/university-tuition-fee-manual/iv-residency/

Qualifying for Resident Tuition Rate Based on Having Attended and Graduated from a NY High School or Having Received a GED (or TASC) in NYS, including Undocumented and Out-of-Status Students

All CUNY students, including undocumented students, benefit from a 2001 New York State law that expanded who qualifies for in-state tuition. That law allows anyone to pay in-state tuition if any of the following apply:

1. They attended a New York State high school for two or more years, graduated, and applied to attend a CUNY institution within five years of receiving a New York State diploma.
2. They attended an approved New York State program for the Test Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC) or General Educational Development (GED) exam preparation, received the TASC/GED from New York State, and applied to attend a CUNY institution within five years of receiving the New York State TASC/GED.
3. They were enrolled in the City University of New York (CUNY) for the Fall 2001 semester and qualified for in-state tuition at that time.

If you are an undocumented immigrant, and you would like to get in-state tuition, in addition to meeting one of the above criteria, you must file an affidavit (a sworn, written statement signed by you) stating that you will apply to legalize your status as soon as you are eligible. At The City College of New York, the Admissions Office can also provide you with a sample affidavit.

Note that TASC/GED holders who graduated from high school either in the United States or overseas are not eligible for this benefit.

Others Eligible for In-State Tuition

If you do not qualify under the rules described above, you still may qualify for in-state tuition if you have continuously resided in New York State for at least one year immediately preceding the first day of classes and one of the following applies:

1. You are a U.S. citizen, a permanent resident, or you have a permanent resident application pending. Note that you must have filed Form I-485 Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status. It is not sufficient to have solely a pending or approved Form I-130 Petition for Alien Relative or Form I-140 Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker.
2. You have been granted asylum, withholding of removal, or refugee status.
3. You have applied for asylum and have been granted USCIS employment authorization.
4. You have applied for or have been granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS).
5. You have been granted Deferred Action.
6. You have been granted Deferred Enforced Departure.
7. You have been granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).
8. You are a “late amnesty” applicant, a NACARA applicant (Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American Relief Act), or a Cuban or humanitarian parolee.
9. You are in one of the following nonimmigrant statuses:
10. A, E, G, H-1B, H-1C, H-4 (where the primary status holder is here in H-1B or H-1C status), I, K, L, N, O, R, S, T, U, or V.
11. Students enrolling at a community college, in any status above could be eligible for in-state tuition if they have resided in New York City for the 6 months immediately preceding the first day of classes and they have a bona fide intent to reside in New York permanently.

If you have questions about qualifying for in-state tuition, please contact the Financial Aid Office or the Immigrant Student Resource and Research Center at immigrantcenter@ccny.cuny.edu .