In January, CUNY announced the implementation of the CUNY Transfer Initiative, which will allow “students currently transferring for Fall 2025 to move anywhere within the 25-college system without sacrificing credits towards their major."  This effort will save students’ time and lower fees associated with transferring, with every transferring student projected to save an average of $1,220 in excess credits.

Our March 2024 report, Boosting Transfer Student Success at CUNY, revealed the wildly uneven transfer student outcomes among CUNY's 25 colleges. While students encounter roadblocks prior to the transfer application process, we found that the most significant hurdle for students is losing credits that go towards degree requirements.  We called on CUNY to improve upon the transfer process by launching "a new CUNY Transfer Accelerator initiative… operationalizing and scaling up effective practices that are already delivering results."

This same report previously sparked a City Council hearing in June of 2024 focused on improving the transfer experience at CUNY, at which we offered lead expert testimony and called for the CUNY Transfer Accelerator initiative.

CUF commends CUNY for taking action to improve the transfer process so that more New Yorkers who start at a community college can earn a four-year degree, and with it, increased upward economic mobility.