queens college essay prompts

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We know you want a college experience that’s academically stimulating, financially affordable and personally rewarding.

Follow these steps to successfully apply:

• Track Deadlines
• Submit Your Application
• Send Your Documents
• Check Your Status

1 Track Deadlines

Make note of the below list of application postmark deadlines and admission notification dates to the majority of our colleges, and to some unique CUNY programs.

Freshman and Transfer Applicants

Unique cuny programs.

1 Supplemental Application on the college’s website

* Two-step notification process: 1) Beginning in mid-February applicants will be notified of their admission decision as General Freshman by all college choices listed on their application. 2) March 15 – Macaulay applicants will be notified of their admissions decision into Macaulay Honors College . *All other applicants to selective programs will be notified of their admission decision at a later date.

**The admissions review for the Queens College Aaron Copland School of Music (ACSM) is a two-step process: Admission to Queens College and admission to the ACSM after an Audition. Please visit the ACSM website for more information.

Please note: The aforementioned deadline dates do not apply to the CUNY School of Professional Studies.

2 Submit Your Application

Three easy steps for completing your CUNY application .

Start your application

Log into the CUNY Application using either a guest account or your CUNYfirst account.

Select your application

• Freshman : apply as a freshman if you’re currently enrolled in high school or if you haven’t attended college after receiving your high school diploma. One application allows you to apply to 6 CUNY colleges.
• Macaulay : if you are a freshman applicant for the fall semester, you can choose the Macaulay application to be considered for our university honors program.
• Transfer : apply as a transfer if you’ve enrolled in college after completing high school. One application allows you to apply to 4 CUNY colleges.

Review and Submit

Make sure to review your application before clicking the Submit button. Upon submission, you’ll be able to access a copy of your Application Summary . We recommend you download a copy. We’ll also generate a CUNYfirst ID number shortly after you submit your application. This 8 digit unique number will help us identify your application quickly and match any documents you send to us.

You can return to your application post-submission to upload supporting materials, add recommendation requests and make payment. View our video tutorials for a step-by-step guide .

Application Fees

All applicants are required to submit a non-refundable application fee to be considered for admission. The Freshman Application fee is $65. The Transfer Application fee is $70.

Submit your fee online using MasterCard, Visa, American Express, Discover or e-check.

Submit your fee by mail by submitting a money order payable to “CUNY” to the address listed below. Write your CUNYfirst ID number on your money order. You can find your CUNYfirst ID number (an 8 digit number) on your Application Summary .

CUNY UAPC Lockbox Mail Code: 8770 P.O. Box 7247 Philadelphia, PA 19170-8770

Fee Waivers

• Current CUNY College students : If you’re currently enrolled at a CUNY College and intend to transfer without a gap in your enrollment, answer the CUNY Enrollment question on the application to waive your application fee. Note: please be sure to add the courses you are currently taking in order for your application fee to be waived.
• Current New York City Public School (NYCPS) students : To request an application fee waiver, have the student select ‘Pay Later’ and submit their application. Please submit the Fee Waiver Request Form to  [email protected]  for all students who receive free or reduced lunch and need their application waived. No supporting documentation is required.
• Current Non-New York City Public School or New York State students : To request an application fee waiver, have the student select ‘Pay Later’ and submit their application. Please review the income guidelines in this form and submit the  Fee Waiver Request Form  with supporting eligibility documents for each student to  [email protected] .
• Students from outside of New York State : Fee waivers are limited to students in New York State.
• Veterans and spouses of veterans : Answer the US Military Status question on the application and upload proof of service in the supporting documents section of the application to receive a waiver. Acceptable forms of proof are DD-214, current Military ID Card, Deployment Orders or Pre-separation Orders. Spouses of veterans can provide Form 1173/1173-1 as proof of military affiliation.
• Economic Hardship for applicants not in high school or not enrolled at a CUNY College : The City University of New York (CUNY) can provide a limited number of undergraduate application fee waivers each academic year to applicants not currently attending a NYC/NYS high school.

Eligibility : The following applicants who reside in New York State may qualify for a hardship fee waiver:

• Applicants in foster care, ward of the state or county
• Applicants residing in a homeless shelter
• Applicants receiving public assistance (NYCHA, Section 8, Government Subsidized housing, Supplemental Security Income)
• Applicants who are unemployed or dependents of unemployed parent(s) receiving unemployment benefits
• Applicants that meet the income guidelines for Opportunity Programs (SEEK) and College Discovery (CD) (see Financial Eligibility Guidelines below) *
• Formerly incarcerated/Justice impacted Individuals are eligible for a fee waiver with a copy of their release paper.

* Financial Eligibility Guidelines Academic Year 2024/2025

Note: For families/households with more than 8 persons, add $9,509 for each additional person.

Required Supporting Documentation : The supporting documentation will be required with your hardship fee waiver request ( Important: please remove any personal data such as DOB and Social Security Numbers in order to ensure the privacy of the applicant):

• Foster Care : Letter from foster care agency verifying the applicant’s foster care status
• Homeless/Living in a shelter : Letter from social worker verifying the applicant’s residency
• Unemployment : Copy of unemployment benefits letter
• CUNY Opportunity Program/Income Eligibility Guidelines : Copy of 1040 Federal Income Tax Return
• Public Assistance : Copy of a budget letter
• Formerly incarcerated: Copy of their release paper

Applicant Steps to Submit an Application for Hardship Fee Waiver Request

Applicants requesting an application fee waiver for hardship must submit their application before requesting a waiver. The applicant will need to choose “Pay Later” on the fee payment section of the admission application and submit their application. Applicants should then submit a brief e-mail request with the required supporting documentation and their CUNYfirst ID to: [email protected]. Important: please remove any personal data such as DOB and Social Security Numbers from the documentation in order to ensure the privacy of the applicant. Hardship requests will be reviewed on a first-come first-serve basis, and the applicant will be notified of a decision via e-mail within 5-7 business days.

3 Send Your Documents

After submitting your application, make sure to send all required documents needed for review. You only need to submit one set of documents to CUNY, even if you have applied to multiple colleges on your application.

Freshman Applicants

You’ll need to provide us with your official high school transcript(s), and might also need to submit more documents, depending on what college(s) you’re applying to. See below for more info.

Transfer Applicants

For Transfer Application information, visit our Transfer Hub .

International Applicants

For International Student Application information, visit our International Student & Scholar Service page or see what documents are needed for students educated outside of the United States .

What is a Transcript?

We define an official record as one that details your complete academic history (all years) while in attendance at a college, university or any postsecondary institution. These records must be sent directly to us from the issuing institution and/or examining body in a sealed, school-issued envelope and must include the following:

• Dates of enrollment, courses taken and marks, grades or ratings in each subject.
• Institutional grading scale or other standard(s) of evaluation.
• Recent signature and date by a school official and must include an original institutional seal. Accepted signatures include: the Registrar, Dean, Principal, Controller of Examinations, Ministry of Education, or another appropriate school official/office (varies by country).

We do not accept the following:

• Documents certified by a notary public, translator or commissioner of oaths.
• Photocopies or other duplications of a record such as notarized copies, faxed or scanned documents.

Documents by a university must be official in order to be considered. Any document considered “official” is in a stamped and sealed envelope from the post-secondary institution. Any other forms of the documents will not be accepted.

Transcripts for Current New York City Public Schools (NYCPS)

Current New York City Public Schools (NYCPS) If you’ve entered your OSIS number on the application, we’ll retrieve an electronic copy of your high school record. If you did not enter your OSIS number, please contact our Help Desk for Students . If you are currently attending a NYC Charter School, please request an official transcript to be sent to [email protected] by your guidance counselor.

Transcripts for All Other High School Students

All other High School Students Request an official transcript from your high school to be sent to [email protected] . Your school can email us an official transcript or if your school uses Naviance, you can request your transcript by adding “The City University of New York (CUNY)” to your list of schools to which you’ve applied.

If you are currently attending or have graduated from a United States-administered American, International, or Department of Defense school, you can request an official transcript from your high school to be sent to [email protected] . If you are sending a transcript through SCOIR, send it only to one CUNY College, and all the other ones the student applied to, will have access to that transcript.

If you are currently attending or have graduated from a Missionary or other American private school, your school must meet CUNY standards for school accreditation. If your high school does not meet accreditation standards, you will be required to take the High School Equivalency test. See the High School Equivalency section below.

Transcripts for Students with High School Equivalency Diploma

Students with High School Equivalency Diploma

• If you received a High School Equivalency diploma from NY (also known as TASC ), send a copy of your diploma and scores. If you were eligible for HSE Regents exemptions, be sure to submit your high school transcript along with your HSE Diploma. If you received an equivalency diploma outside of NYS, contact the appropriate State Education Department for your record. Visit ged.com to learn more.
• HSE Diploma and Scores can be sent to [email protected] .

Transcripts for Home Schooled Students

Home Schooled Students Generally, your home-schooling curriculum should adhere to your school district’s preliminary education requirement for earning a high school diploma. This will allow us to review your entire record as a home-schooled student within the context of the academic requirements as outlined above.

• If you are a New York State resident who received home schooling, a transcript outlining all completed coursework with grades earned is required. You must also submit a letter from the superintendent of your school district or comparable chief school administrator certifying that you have completed the equivalent of a New York State four-year high school program through home schooling.
• If you are a senior who is currently completing a home-school program, you must submit a letter from the superintendent of your school district certifying that you are currently completing a program that is equivalent to a NYS four-year high school program. Upon completion, please submit a letter verifying that you have successfully completed the program.
• If you cannot obtain the letter from the high school district, you must obtain a High School Equivalency diploma. See the High School Equivalency section below.
• If you are an out-of-state resident who received home-schooling, a state-issued diploma is required. If you have not obtained a state-issued diploma, you must obtain your High School Equivalency diploma. ( for more information on how to obtain a High School Equivalency score )

Transcripts for Online and Correspondence School Students

Online and Correspondence Schools CUNY does not accept diplomas from any non-public correspondence, online or virtual high school. Students from these schools must successfully complete a high school equivalency examination to be considered for admission to a CUNY college.

Transcripts for CDOS Commencement Credential and IEP Diploma students

CDOS Commencement Credential and IEP Diploma Applicants with CDOS (Career Development and Occupational Studies) Commencement Credential or an IEP Diploma must earn a High School Equivalency Diploma.

If you are applying to Baruch College, Hunter College or Queens College, use the essay topics below. Baruch College recommends all freshman applicants to submit an essay. Hunter College and Queens College require an essay.

Essay Prompts

• Tell us something meaningful about yourself that is not reflected in your application. You may choose to speak about your interests, aspirations and/or background.
• It is often said that the road to success is paved with setbacks. Tell us about a time you faced a challenge or obstacle. What did you learn from it, and how did it contribute to your success?
• Share an essay on any topic. You may use an essay that you have previously written or one that discusses a topic of your choice.

Where to Email/Mail Your Documents

CUNY transcripts and other supporting materials could be submitted either electronically or via mail.

Submitting Electronically:

• [email protected] : Only to be used by High Schools or Colleges/Universities to send transcripts to us electronically.
• [email protected] : Home School Students, Students Educated Outside of the United States, HSE Students. Please note that documents received will be considered unofficial.

However, if the institution that you previously or are currently attending does not offer the option to submit documents online you can send them to:

Freshman Admission CUNY/UAPC P.O. Box 350136 Brooklyn, NY 11235

Macaulay Honors College Admission CUNY/UAPC P.O. Box 350046 Brooklyn, NY 11235

Transfer Admission CUNY/UAPC P.O. Box 350136 Brooklyn, NY 11235

Overnight/Express Shipping CUNY/UAPC 2001 Oriental Blvd., Building T-1, Room 122 Brooklyn, NY 11235

Please note that all materials and documents (including original documents) submitted become part of the admissions process at CUNY/UAPC and cannot be returned to the applicant. Please do not submit any original documents that you cannot request again (ie. Original Diplomas).

Supporting Documents

All applicants are encouraged to provide supporting documents as part of their applications – such as essays and letters of recommendation. Be sure to review the admission requirements of your intended program to see if any supporting documents are required.

SAT/ACT Test Scores

In light of the COVID-19 crisis, SAT and ACT test scores are not required nor considered in application review process for the Fall 2023 through Spring 2027 admission cycle. For more information on the suspension of SAT/ACT test scores, click here .

Students Educated Outside of the United States

If you were educated outside of the United States, you may need to submit additional documentation to complete your application to CUNY.

Transcripts

All Transcripts and associated documents must be translated. Please review our Translation Guidelines for more information.

Secondary School Transcripts

You will need to submit a copy of your complete academic record (all years), as well as any national or government certificates earned. Secondary School documents can be uploaded onto your CUNY application or in certain cases (ie. WAEC) where we require additional information they can be sent to [email protected] . Please review the list of Required Secondary School Credentials for more information.

Official University Transcripts

If you’ve attended university, you’ll need to request an official transcript from each university in order to be considered for admission. Please review the Official transcript section before submitting documents. Please have them send transcripts directly to [email protected] .

Evaluation Services

Applicants educated outside of the United States may choose to have their records evaluated by one of the Approved Evaluation Services listed below or by the University Application Processing Center .

1. Approved Evaluation Services

Students may consider the following outside evaluation agencies:

• Academic Credentials Evaluation Institute, Inc.
• Educational Credential Evaluators
• Foreign Credential Evaluations, Inc.
• Foreign Credentials Service of America
• International Education Evaluations (IEE)
• International Education Research Foundation
• Institute of Foreign Credential Evaluations (IFCS)
• Josef Silny & Associates, Inc., International Education Consultants
• SpanTran: The Evaluation Company
• Transcript Research
• World Education Services, Inc.
• Secondary school record : an official course-by-course evaluation report which includes a grade point average (GPA) based on all secondary school course work and any external examination certificates earned.
• University record : an official course-by-course evaluation report which includes a GPA based on all University course work.
• Secondary school record : proof of secondary school graduation and an official course-by-course evaluation report.
• We will only accept evaluations that are sent directly from the evaluation service.
• Be sure to request that the evaluation service includes certified copies of all documentation used for the evaluation.

2. CUNY’s University Application Processing Center (UAPC)

CUNY’s University Application Processing Center can evaluate your transcripts free of charge.

UAPC does not evaluate until all required documents have been submitted. Please follow these guidelines:

• Please observe the list of Required Secondary School Credentials for your country.
• Observe the Translation Guidelines , to ensure a timely evaluation.
• Please submit the form to the relevant office at your previous institutions for official transcripts.
• An official transcript is a copy of your academic record sent directly from your University to CUNY at [email protected] .
• To ensure appropriate documentation is submitted, observe the requirements of an Official Transcript .

Translations

• Copies of complete secondary school record
• Secondary school graduation diploma
• Any external examination certificates earned
• An official transcript of university work, sent directly from the issuing institution

Official translations may be obtained from the following

• Consulate or embassy of the country that is issuing the document
• Translation agency
• Immigrant or refugee association in the U.S. representing the country issuing the document
• The institution where the student studied
• Faculty member of U.S. high school, college, or university (must signify his/her academic department and rank)

All translations must meet the following conditions

• Complete and literal (word-for-word) with no attempts to interpret or evaluate the credential
• Prepared in same format as the original document
• Typed on business or school letterhead stationery
• Signed by a translator attesting to familiarity with the foreign language

CUNY does not accept translations from the following

• The student or members of his/her family
• Individuals not affiliated with any of the organizations listed above

TOEFL/IELTS/PTE/DUOLINGO

If you are on a temporary visa and educated in a non-English speaking environment, you’ll need to submit official test scores for one of the following:

• IELTS (Academic Level)
• PTE (Academic level)

In order for your scores to be considered official, request them to be sent by the issuing agency to CUNY and/or list our university code 2950 when registering for the exams. Copies of scores uploaded to the application are considered unofficial.

Visit the TOEFL , IELTS , PTE or Duolingo website for more information on sending scores. Please review our TOEFL/IELTS/PTE/Duolingo Scores Comparison Chart for more information.

4 Check Your Status

Once you submit your application, we’ll send you an email to log into CUNYfirst. CUNYfirst allows all applicants to check on the status of their applications and view decisions. More information on activating your CUNYfirst account and checking your application status .

If you miss our freshman and transfer application deadlines , you might still be able to apply to one of our colleges that continues to accept applications after the deadline. If you are applying after the deadline date, you’ll be considered by each college on a space available basis.

You’ll receive an admission decision from each of the colleges you selected on your application. Visit our After You are Admitted page for next steps.

More Admissions Resources

Majors & Programs

Support Programs

Application Review

Foster Care Students

Adult Learners

Advanced Placement Credit

High School/College Counselors

Transfer Credit Guide

Downloads & Print Materials