Former college dropouts enroll in CUNY by the thousands
Thousands of college students who dropped out or paused their education because of the pandemic are returning to the City University of New York on Wednesday for the first day of school.
After a slow start, more than 14,400 former students re-enrolled ahead of this semester through the “CUNY Reconnect” initiative, which was launched in the fall. The program encourages New Yorkers with college credits to complete their degrees. By the end of last semester, 3,000 students had taken advantage of it.
Over the winter break, a team of 50 outreach workers called “navigators” doubled down on contacting former students who earned some college credit, but have no degree to show for it.
Among that group was Yoslin Reyes, 21, who told the Daily News she gradually stopped attending classes in 2019 while pregnant with money woes, until she lost financial aid at Queensborough Community College.
“Now I’m in a pretty good place in my life, and I wanted to go back to school,” said Reyes, who gave birth in May during the height of the pandemic. “Mainly for my daughter.”
The navigators, who collectively speak six languages, helped connect students with scholarships and child care access to keep them from dropping out again.
Reyes said she worked with the staffers to resubmit an application for financial aid at no cost to her. She also changed her major from criminal justice to health sciences to become a dental hygienist.
“I need to be able to provide for [my daughter] financially. If she sees that I’m in school, I’m not saying she has to go to college... but I’m really hoping she does think about doing it,” said Reyes.
The $4.4-million pilot program in this year’s city budget, as championed by City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams (D-Queens), is serving 4,000 more students than originally anticipated.
“I’m elated that this groundbreaking initiative has surpassed its initial goal to help New Yorkers advance their education and careers,” Adams said in a statement.
Most program participants are Black or Hispanic and live in Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx. Many of the re-enrolled students signed up for classes at the Borough of Manhattan Community College, Queensborough Community College and Queens College.
The idea for the program came from a paper by the Center for an Urban Future, which estimated that nearly 700,000 New Yorkers between the ages of 25 and 64 have taken some college classes but did not make it to graduation.
Black and Hispanic women make up 35% of that population, though they comprise just 26% of working-age New Yorkers overall, researchers found.
Many left college just a few credits short of their degrees, according to the study — and as a result, they’ve taken on much of the financial burden of higher education without the benefits and earnings that come with a college degree.
Last month, CUNY and Adams announced plans to construct a welcome center at York College in Jamaica, Queens, where former students can meet with counselors to discuss re-enrolling in school and related services and supports.
“It is with great pride that we welcome the more than 14,000 students who have returned to CUNY or are first-time students who paused their education after high school due to the pandemic,” CUNY Chancellor Félix Matos Rodríguez said in a statement.
“By furthering their education, they are preparing themselves to secure better-paying jobs and will lead the continued revitalization of our city.”
