Enrollment at CuNY is ever upward

THE EXCELSIOR Scholarship may be living up to its name.

A record 50,546 students are seeking to enroll at the City University of New York for the 2018-19 year, CUNY officials said Tuesday.

That’s up from the 45,497 who applied for freshman seats in the current school year and represents a jump of roughly 11%.

CUNY officials said the new number of applicants follows a 9% increase in applications for 2016, which resulted in its largest-ever freshman class of 38,372 in 2017.

One reason for the surge, CUNY Chancellor James Milliken said, is the state’s Excelsior Scholarship, which kicked off this past fall. “Students are seeing the tremendous opportunity and value that CUNY offers,” Milliken said.

Cuomo rolled out the scholarship, named for the state motto that’s Latin for “ever upward,” to increase access to public colleges in New York State.

About 210,000 students participate in the program, which covers any tuition that remains after other aid is received for students whose families make less than $100,000. CUNY students as well as those at the State University of New York are eligible.