BILL NUMBER:  S4397

 TITLE OF BILL :  An act to amend the education law, in relation to
establishing an automatic application system

 PURPOSE :

This bill would require the creation of prefilled applications through
a centralized database through which graduating high school seniors
could apply to college and receive a financial aid estimate.

 SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS :

Section 1. Establishes automatic application program.

Section 2. Outlines database requirements and an "opt out" clause.

Section 3. Requires data publication on efficacy of program.

Section 4. Requires steps to inform schools and the general public of
the program.

Section 5. Establishes a rulemaking authority to regulate the program.

 JUSTIFICATION :

              

Issue: While many families see higher education as the natural next
step after high school, this sentiment is not always the case. This is
particularly true for low income students underrepresented minorities
and families where no one has previously attended college. For many
students even graduating high school is a challenge.

Research has shown that numerous families especially those described
above, struggle to plan for and apply to college. The reason are
numerous: less access to information and the Internet,
misunderstanding of the financial aid available, social and language
barriers, lower educational expectations and inexperience with the
range of higher education institutions.  The result is that our
country's education gap increased despite the greater demand for an
uneducated workforce.

Solution: First, the legislation makes every New York school an
institution where students are expected to go to college. Because all
students would receive a college application through the database,
students and parents will internalize the importance and viability of
higher education. This will lead to students recognizing the
significance of academics and developing a drive to work hard to get
to college while still in the classroom. Many teachers we talked to
about this process believed that the prospect of already having a
partially completed college application would be an empowering and
motivational tool for their students.

Second, the legislation would help to overcome many of the
aforementioned obstacles that stop students from applying to schools.
It is certainly true that CUNY and SUNY applications are relatively
simple when compared to other institutions. However, each additional
step to reach college loses families along the way. This program would
allow students to submit their information to colleges through a
matter of clicks, mitigating the barriers that traditionally make it
harder to apply to schools.

Making it easier to apply to college will motivate more people to
apply and attend college. Behavioral research proposes that the way on
designs choices has a great effect on people's decisions.  Governments
have used this concept, known as "nudge", to increase voter
registration, reduce litter, boost revenue and help low income
students attend college; all without use of coercion or legal force.
Each nudge policy makes it easier for citizens to make good choices.
Shortening the application process makes it more likely that students
will complete the application process.

While other states have not implemented a program like this similar
initiatives have proven to help get students to college. FAFSA offers
the most apt parallel to our proposed automatic application program.
Minimal streamlining of the FAFSA process increased application
submissions by 186 percent and lead to a seven percentage point
increase in college attendance. We will apply this same proven
streamlining concept to the college application itself. In addition,
colleges already use prefilled applications to boost applications
(although they are mostly used to increase revenue rather than
enrollment). By using this strategy, Northeastern University was able
to garner almost 50,000 applications for its 2,800 spots in 2014. It
is unfortunate that schools use this practice for predatory purposes,
but it is hard to ignore the results. Clearly, students are more
likely to apply to colleges when the process is easier.

Third, our bill would better inform students of the cost of college.
After students have completed filling in their information the
application would supply students with an estimate of the financial
aid they would receive. With this more accurate knowledge of how such
their education will cost, students can make better financial
decisions about their college attendance and what it takes to
graduate. In our talks with students, they cited this as the most
helpful improvement to the college application.

How it works: School districts already have much of the necessary data
to complete a college application. We propose that New York State fund
the creation of a centralized database containing students' academic
and demographic information onto a password protected college
application.

The database will be cost effective. The task of centralizing the
information to an account would be inexpensive and has already been
done in New York City. Students would still pay the application fee.
This has the potential to raise revenue for State and City colleges
due to increased applications.

The database and application process retains students' privacy. All
student information is contained in a password protected account known
only to the student, his or family, and the New York State Education
Department. No information would be submitted without permission from
the student or guardian. Students may opt out of the program any time.
Their information would be deleted according to federal regulations.

The applications would use the information to provide students with a
financial aid estimate. Once a student finished filling in their
information, the application would provide the student with an
estimate of the financial aid they could expect from the institution
prior to submitting the application.

The database would optimize education data use. Many families move to
different school districts throughout their children's P-12 career.
The centralized database would facilitate the sharing and updating of
student's academic record as they move to different schools, saving
districts time and money. The database would also provide institutions
with a powerful research tool. Creating a P-16 database would assist
researchers as they study the efficacy of academic programs and work
to improve our educational system

 LEGISLATIVE HISTORY :

2015-16 A.9157
 FISCAL IMPLICATIONS :

TBD.

 EFFECTIVE DATE :
This act shall take effect on the first of August next succeeding the
date on which it shall have become a law.