Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Monday that the CUNY application fee will be eliminated for low-income New York City students. 

The mayor, along with Chancellor Carmen Farina and other NYC officials, says the $65 application fee waiver will allow low-income students to complete and submit an application for all six CUNY schools free of charge. They say the change will go into effect in October.

"College is not supposed to be a privilege, something only rich families can afford to do, it's supposed to be part of the American dream," de Blasio says. 

City officials say the elimination of the fee will remove a significant financial barrier for low-income students. Currently, over half of the city's high school graduates enroll in a CUNY college.