CUNY officials, students and advocates urge City Council to fund ‘Fresh Start,’ fee waivers and Reconnect expansion to clear small unpaid balances

CUNY officials, student leaders and advocates told the New York City Council’s Higher Education Committee that clearing small unpaid balances, making application fee waivers permanent and baselining CUNY Reconnect funding would remove a common barrier that keeps thousands of students from re-enrolling.

At the hearing, CUNY staff told the committee that 13,687 students in the 2025 financial‑aid year had balances that prevented them from enrolling; CUNY also reported roughly 8,200 current students with debts of $2,000 or less. Advocates and researchers described many additional students blocked by far smaller balances and urged a targeted Fresh Start that would forgive low dollar amounts that commonly derail completion.

“Having completion and forgiveness grants is vital to lifting that burden, breaking that spiral so that students can focus on their coursework,” said Peter de Chile Jr., an academic advisor at Baruch College who testified about students that Reconnect helped return to campus. “These grants aligned with Reconnect as a whole together create direct impactful solutions of academic and financial support for those at risk.”

Eli Dvorkin, editoria…