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Q&A
Impact of unpaid balances on CUNY student enrollment
0:39:43
·
118 sec
Council Member Dinowitz inquires about the number of students unable to enroll due to unpaid balances. CUNY officials provide striking statistics and discuss the Fresh Start program's role in addressing this issue.
- 13,687 students were unable to enroll in the 2025 financial aid year due to unpaid balances
- Most colleges have a threshold between $300 and $500 for allowing enrollment with existing balances
- The CUNY Reconnect program is helping students pay off balances and return to school
Eric Dinowitz
0:39:43
How have you calculated year after year how many students actually stopped taking classes due to these unpaid balances?
0:39:55
Let's talk undergrad.
0:40:04
How many people can't apply for classes who would have otherwise been applying for classes because they have a balance and have now left CUNY because they have a balance.
0:40:21
Okay.
0:40:43
What?
0:40:49
Thirteen thousand six hundred eighty seven in the single year were unable to enroll because of balances.
0:40:55
Let me ask you, what's the lowest amount balance amount?
0:41:14
3,687.
0:41:18
Sorry.
0:41:18
Yes.
0:41:18
Sorry.
0:41:19
Yeah.
0:41:19
Thank you for correcting me with the higher number.
0:41:21
That's very good.
0:41:22
Very good.
0:41:23
+1.
Reine Sarmiento
0:39:52
We have not.
0:39:53
You mean at the undergrad or at
0:39:57
We have not, But we could get you that.
0:40:00
So the number that stop out because of balances or
0:40:31
In the 2025 financial aid year, thirteen thousand six hundred and eighty seven students had balances and were unable to enroll.
0:40:58
Most of the colleges have a threshold between 3 and $500 to allow the student to enroll.
0:41:05
So none of them are at $5 the small amounts and each college sets their own limit.
0:41:17
13 thousand.
0:41:27
It's also important to note that these are the very students that we are reaching back out with the Reconnect program who are helping students, like the student that we have here, pay off balances and come back to school.