An additional 18,000 students who were not eligible for financial aid between Spring 2020 and Spring 2021 can apply to have their balances forgiven if they experienced financial hardships from the pandemic. If you’re eligible, you can apply on CUNYfirst under “Campus Solutions,” then “Main Menu,” then “Self Service,” and “CUNY Comeback Hardship App.” Eligible students also received an email from chancellorcommunications@cuny.edu to their school email address on August 31, 2021 and again on September 30, 2021. The deadline to complete the application is November 1, 2021. Please don’t wait to apply.

Qualifying hardships may include but are not limited to:
– the need to pay out-of-pocket medical expenses,
– increased childcare costs,
– being homeless or a dislocated worker,
– changes in the student’s family income, including recent unemployment of a family member on whom the student depends for support
– food or housing insecurity
– other changes in the family’s income or assets that rendered them unable to pay off their balance to CUNY

The CUNY Comeback Program is a new program launched by Governor Cuomo and Chancellor Matos Rodríguez to help at least 50,000 students overcome debts from tuition and fees they may have accumulated during the pandemic. By providing up to $125 million in debt relief to at least 50,000 students who need it most, students will be able to move forward with their education at CUNY and their careers. Most of these students will have their balances cleared automatically in early August, others will be able to apply for hardship starting later in August. Financial holds will also be lifted immediately, allowing students to register for Fall 2021 classes.

In addition, Chancellor Matos Rodríguez implemented a policy change allowing CUNY students and graduates who owe the University unpaid tuition and feeds to receive their official transcripts, which will aid in their ability to pursue employment and additional educational opportunities.

Our students and recent graduates have been hit hard by COVID-19, many losing their jobs and facing housing and food insecurity. Erasing outstanding tuition and fee balances allows for them to focus on pursuing their educational and career goals without the additional burden of owing money.

Students enrolled at a CUNY college at any time between March 13, 2020, and the end of Spring 2021 semester, are eligible to receive forgiveness ​​of outstanding balances owed to CUNY, including recent graduates and students who dropped out after taking classes during this time. This will help ensure equity for our students who were disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.

Students who meet any of the below criteria will automatically have their eligible tuition and fees forgiven:

1. Students determined to have hardship, using similar criteria employed to allocate the federal Student Emergency Grants in Spring 2020 and Spring 2021. This includes any student who was eligible for Pell Grants, based on their Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) as provided after completing the FAFSA, even if the student did not receive Pell. This may also include students who are eligible for the New York State Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) but did not receive the full award.
2. Students who graduated from CUNY since the national emergency was declared on March 13, 2020, and owe any outstanding balance from the Spring 2020 semester through the Spring 2021 semester.
3. Students who have an outstanding balance of $100 or less per semester, for any of the following semesters: Spring 2020, Summer 2020, Fall 2020 and Spring 2021.

Eligible students who meet the criteria above will receive a notification letter to their preferred CUNY email and will have their eligible outstanding tuition and fees balances due to CUNY automatically discharged.

Additional students with outstanding balances will be able to apply based on financial hardship and will receive an email with information about the application. These hardships may include:

• the need to pay out-of-pocket medical expenses,
• increased childcare costs,
• being homeless or a dislocated worker,
• changes in the student’s family income, including recent unemployment of a family member on whom the student depends for support
• food or housing insecurity
• other changes in the family’s income or assets that rendered them unable to pay off their balance to CUNY

In order to assist students who paid all or some of their tuition and fee charges out of pocket between the Spring 2020 and Spring 2021 semesters and do not owe any amount to any CUNY college for that period, such students may receive a $200 grant, on top of any other federal Student Emergency Grant allocation that the student will be entitled to in Fall 2021. These enhanced grants will be automatically awarded to students enrolled in the Fall 2021 semester, with no application required, and sent as a check in the mail or as direct deposit in bank accounts. Students who are not eligible for Student Emergency Grants will still have an opportunity for assistance by completing or updating their FAFSA submissions, and/or providing hardship justifications to their campus financial aid office.

Any and all tuition and fees — such as the technology and student activities fees — that were posted to a student’s CUNYfirst account during the Spring 2020, Summer 2020, Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 semesters are eligible to be included.

Any private student loans, personal expenses or personal debts that do not get posted to students’ CUNYfirst accounts. Also, tuition and fees prior to the Spring 2020 semester and after the Spring 2021 semester are not covered.

Students whose balances will be forgiven automatically will see this reflected in August 2021. They will receive a notification by email once the cancellation has been processed in the student’s CUNYfirst account. Students may confirm the amount cancelled by viewing their CUNYfirst account.

All other potentially eligible students will receive a letter in their preferred CUNY email with details on how to apply for financial hardship. Depending on the time they submit the application and eligibility, they will see their balances erased by the end of the Fall 2021 semester at the latest.

Yes! If your account was put on a financial hold due to an outstanding balance accumulated during the pandemic and you are eligible for the CUNY Comeback Program, your holds will be lifted and you can register for classes or request an official transcript.

No. Debts will be forgiven for eligible students enrolled in any of the following semesters, Spring 2020, Summer 2020, Fall 2020 and Spring 2021, regardless of if they have since graduated or stopped taking classes. All students who have not yet completed their degrees are encouraged to re-enroll for the Fall 2021 semester. Students do need to be enrolled in order to be eligible for Fall 2021 Student Emergency Grants.

No. The CUNY Comeback Program is open to all students who are or were enrolled during the COVID-19 national emergency. This includes permanent residents, international students, refugees, asylum seekers, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) recipients, other DREAMers, and similar undocumented students.

No, this is a one-time forgiveness initiative made possible by federal relief funds received by CUNY’s colleges from the U.S. Department of Education.

If you have not filled out a FAFSA you will not be automatically eligible. Campus Financial Aid offices will be working with and encouraging students to submit or update their FAFSA applications so that they can be evaluated for eligibility based on financial hardship.

No, the only outstanding balances that are eligible for relief are those that emanate from the semesters since the national public health emergency was declared on March 13, 2020. Still, we encourage you to contact your Financial Aid office to explore repayment plans, or potential financial assistance options.

This forgiveness program is funded by the Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds (HEERF) that CUNY received as federal COVID-19 relief from the U.S. Department of Education.

For more information, contact your campus’s CUNY Comeback Contact.

Chancellor Matos Rodríguez announced on August 11, 2021 that CUNY will no longer hold the transcripts of students or graduates who owe tuition and fees to the University. Through this policy change, students and graduates will be able to access their official CUNY transcripts so that they may enroll for classes in future semesters and can provide transcripts to potential employers that require them and to schools for pursuing additional education.