CUNY Announces NYC Public School Graduates Can Defer Enrollment for Two Years to Enlist in Military Service

CUNY 'Veterans' Promise' Extends Existing One-Year Deferral Policy

Announcement Comes as CUNY's City Tech Receives $3 Million Gift from Estate of Marine Corps Veteran and Alumnus David Yuen Kwong Lu

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The City University of New York today announced a new policy that allows graduating New York City Public Schools (NYCPS) seniors who enlist in U.S. Armed Forces the exclusive ability to defer enrollment at a CUNY college for up to two years. The new system-wide CUNY Veterans' Promise policy, effective with the current admissions cycle for fall 2026, is an extension of CUNY's longstanding deferral policy - which allows any incoming student to postpone enrollment for up to one academic year for any reason - to provide an additional year of deferral for NYCPS graduates who enlist.

"With our CUNY Veterans' Promise program, we are making sure that graduates of New York City Public Schools can complete their military service basic training with the assurance that they'll have a place at CUNY once they're done," said CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez. "We also want our soon-to-be student-veterans to remember that once they join us, they will be welcomed by a great suite of support services specially tailored to ensure their continued success."

"New York City Public Schools is deeply committed to creating opportunities for every student to learn, serve, and lead," said New York City Public Schools Chancellor Melissa Avilés-Ramos. "We are proud to partner on the CUNY Veterans' Promise and to ensure that our graduates who choose to serve our nation can do so knowing their educational journeys will continue when they return. This partnership reflects our shared belief that service and scholarship go hand in hand, and that every pathway our students take should lead to success."

"This extension gives NYC public school graduates who choose military service the certainty that their path to CUNY stays open," said New York City Department of Veterans' Services Commissioner James Hendon. "By adding a second year to the deferral window for enlistees, CUNY is creating a clear runway from service to school, with strong campus supports waiting when they arrive."

The CUNY Veterans' Promise was formed in collaboration with New York City Department of Veterans' Services and represents the latest facet of the University's commitment to support the higher education and career goals of the city's veterans and other military-connected individuals. Already, veterans who earned a high school or high school equivalency diploma are guaranteed admission to a CUNY college, eligible for an application fee waiver and exempt from paying a commitment deposit. Student-veterans and their spouses and dependents have access to a wide array of support through the CUNY Office of Veterans Affairs.

Alum's Posthumous Gift

In a recent validation of the success of CUNY's student-veteran graduates, the University's New York City College of Technology announced the receipt of a $2.86 million unrestricted gift from the estate of veteran and alumnus David Yuen Kwong Lu. A 1999 graduate who earned an Associate of Applied Science degree from the college, Lu served in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Vietnam War and worked full-time at Verizon when he enrolled at City Tech. Lu, who passed away in 2023, credited the college for fostering a community that was welcoming to immigrants and first-generation college students.

CUNY colleges have been hailed as among the best colleges for veterans. On its 2026 listing, U.S. News & World Report ranked Hunter College (tied at 7), Brooklyn College and Queens College (tied at 16) among the best regional colleges in the northern United States for veterans.

The City University of New York is the nation's largest urban public university, a transformative engine of social mobility that is a critical component of the lifeblood of New York City. Founded in 1847 as the nation's first free public institution of higher education, CUNY today has seven community colleges, 11 senior colleges and eight honors, graduate and professional institutions spread across New York City's five boroughs, serving nearly 240,000 undergraduate and graduate students and awarding 50,000 degrees each year. CUNY's mix of quality and affordability propels almost six times as many low-income students into the middle class and beyond as all the Ivy League colleges combined. More than 80 percent of the University's graduates stay in New York, contributing to all aspects of the city's economic, civic and cultural life and diversifying the city's workforce in every sector. CUNY's graduates and faculty have received many prestigious honors, including 13 Nobel Prizes and 26 MacArthur "genius" grants. The University's historic mission continues to this day: provide a first-rate public education to all students, regardless of means or background. To learn more about CUNY, visit https://www.cuny.edu.

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