Eligibility
To be eligible for SEEK, you must
- Be a legal resident of New York State for at least one year prior to entering college
- Be a high school graduate or recipient of a state-approved equivalency diploma
- Be a first-time freshman or previously enrolled in an Higher Education Opportunities Program (HEOP) or Equality Opportunity Program (EOP)
- Have a gross family income that meets the New York State guidelines
- Be inadmissible according to the freshman admissions criteria established for the CUNY senior college you want to attend
Transfer Students from College Discovery (CD), EOP, HEOP, and SEEK are eligible to transfer into SEEK at Baruch provided that they have remaining semesters of eligibility. Transfer students must complete the CUNY online transfer application.
Admission Conditions
Admission to SEEK is conditional until you have done the following:
- Taken the University basic skills assessment test in reading, writing, and mathematics unless you are exempted based on your SAT and/or Regents scores
- Provided required documents that prove your economic eligibility for SEEK
- Successfully completed the SEEK summer program
General Information
SEEK students are eligible for extended semesters of financial aid, and most SEEK students receive both Pell and Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) grants. While a non-SEEK student receives 8 semesters of TAP, SEEK students receive 10. Because these are grants and not loans, this money does not need to be repaid.
In addition, students are given a stipend for books each semester, and their technology fees are covered.
Income Eligibility
The following is a guideline for determining economic eligibility for special programs for students first entering college between July 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025. It is not a substitute for an actual eligibility assessment. Please contact the Baruch Office of Financial Aid at 646-312-1360 for more information.
| Academic Year: 2026-2027 | |
| Number of Members in Household (including head of household) |
Total Annual Household Income |
| 1 | $28,953 |
| 2 | $39,128 |
| 3 | $49,303 |
| 4 | $59,478 |
| 5 | $69,653 |
| 6 | $79,828 |
| 7 | $90,003 |
| 8 | $100,178 |
| ** For 2025-26, add $9,953 for each additional family member in excess of 8 | |
Applying for Financial Aid
Students must file the Free Application for Federal Student (FAFSA) form for the summer session/fall semester. While completing the FAFSA, New York residents will be asked to link to the TAP application; do make sure to complete all steps. If you forget or miss the TAP link, you may access the NYS Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC) site and complete it at a later date. If selected for the federal verification process, students must also produce verification worksheets and tax returns.
Baruch federal code is 007273. To sign the FAFSA electronically, obtain your federal student aid ID at www.fsaid.ed.gov (if dependent, one of your parents will need one too). In addition, New York State (NYS) residents attending NYS schools can link directly to the Tuition Assistance Program application from the FAFSA submission confirmation page.
All degree seeking students, regardless of citizenship status, should also seek external scholarships from reliable search engines such as the ones discussed in this article.
Undocumented students may also visit CUNY Dream.US. In addition, they can download the free Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Scholars application from iTunes.
For more information about Financial Aid, please contact Mr. Carlton Marshall at Fasseek@baruch.cuny.edu.