BILL NUMBER: S7894

SPONSOR: CLEARE
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the education law, in relation to establishing an auto-
matic application system

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

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 SPECIFIC 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 the 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 reasons are numer-
ous: less access to information and the Internet, misunderstanding of
the financial aid available, social and language barriers, lower educa-
tional expectations, and inexperience with the range of higher education
institutions. The result is that our country's education gap increases
despite the greater demand for an educated workforce.

Solution: First, the legislation makes every New York school an institu-
tion 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 educa-
tion. This will lead to students recognizing the significance of academ-
ics 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 appli-
cation would be an empowering and motivational tool for their students.

Second, the legislation would help to overcome many of the aforemen-
tioned 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 one designs choices has a great effect on people's deci-
sions. 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 appli-
cations 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 made easier.

Third, our bill would better inform students of the cost of college.
After students have completed filling in their information, the applica-
tion would supply students with an estimate of the financial aid they
would receive. With this more accurate knowledge of how much 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 infor-
mation 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 her 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 at any
time. Their information will be deleted according to federal regu-
lations.

The applications would use the information to provide students with a
financial aid estimate. Once a student finished filling in their infor-
mation, 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 a 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.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

A450-2017/18- referred to Higher Education A9157- 2015/16

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

To be determined

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