News
SUNY WCC Partners with Area High Schools to Provide Automatic Admission to Qualifying Seniors
Peekskill and Ossining high school students are now eligible for automatic general admission to SUNY Westchester Community College, facilitating the college application process for graduating seniors.
October 20, 2022 – Valhalla, New York
SUNY Westchester Community College today announced new college admissions programs with Peekskill City School District and Ossining Union Free School District. Similar to the recent partnership with Port Chester Schools, seniors from these high schools may bypass the traditional application process for automatic admission to SUNY Westchester Community College. With student and parent consent, the high schools in these districts transmit personal and academic information through secure electronic transfer to SUNY Westchester, which automatically admits eligible students who are completing high school diploma requirements. The new approach streamlines college entry by eliminating two critical barriers: the college application and the application fee.
“This collaboration with Ossining and Peekskill is an expansion of a program that revolutionizes the college application process for high school students in our county,” said SUNY Westchester Community College President Dr. Belinda S. Miles. “It is important to remove barriers that might otherwise impede students from reaching their full potential, for their sakes as well as for our region’s growth and vitality. A SUNY Westchester education is a gateway to high-wage, high-demand jobs and high-quality academic pathways.”
“The Ossining School District has a long-standing partnership with Westchester Community College,” said Dr. Raymond Sanchez, Superintendent of Ossining Union Free School District. “This new initiative is a prime example of how we have come together to find ways to remove barriers and provide high-impact programming for students. I am confident that this partnership will help students achieve their dream of college.”
“We are very excited to expand our partnership opportunities with Westchester Community College,” said Peekskill Superintendent of Schools Dr. David Mauricio. “Peekskill High School currently offers several dual enrollment classes with WCC, as well as a Culinary and Hospitality program. We also have a convenient WCC extension site located in our downtown area, a mile from our high school. By removing the barriers involved with the college application process, we are able to provide an accessible resource for our scholars to further their post-secondary goals. For those who chose this pathway, WCC is a great, affordable option.”
Over the past three years, an average of nearly 150 high school seniors from Ossining and Peekskill chose to attend SUNY Westchester each year, making this a high-impact program for both districts. Seniors who opt-in to sharing information with SUNY Westchester will skip the admissions application process and receive an application fee waiver. The innovative program reduces anxiety around college admissions by transitioning students directly into SUNY Westchester’s Viking VIP program, which provides priority appointments with academic and financial aid counselors, preferred access to new student orientation services, and an exclusive invitation to SUNY WCC Commitment Day. Students from Ossining and Peekskill will have the option to attend classes that fit their schedules at the main campus in Valhalla or at SUNY WCC Extension Centers located in those towns.
Qualified seniors from these high schools are offered automatic general admission to SUNY Westchester. Students seeking entry into special programs such as nursing or veterinary technology must still meet corresponding program admission requirements. For more information, contact the SUNY Westchester Community College Admissions Office at Admissions@sunywcc.edu or 914-606-6735.
