WCC Partners With Peekskill Schools For Automatic Enrollment

PEEKSKILL, NY — Seniors from Peekskill City School District and Ossining Union Free School District will now be able to bypass the traditional application process to get into Westchester Community College.

Officials at SUNY Westchester announced the partnership with Peekskill and Ossining high schools Thursday.

Similar to the recent partnership with Port Chester schools, seniors, with permission from their parents, can have their high schools transmit personal and academic information through secure electronic transfer to SUNY Westchester.

The college will automatically admit eligible students who are completing high school diploma requirements.

Officials said the new approach streamlines college entry by eliminating two critical barriers: the college application and the application fee.

Westchester Community College President Dr. Belinda S. Miles said the collaboration between Peekskil and Ossining is an expansion of a program that revolutionizes the college application process for high school students in our county.

“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,” she said.

“A SUNY Westchester education is a gateway to high-wage, high-demand jobs and high-quality academic pathways,” Miles said.

Peekskill Superintendent Dr. David Mauricio said, for those who choose this pathway, WCC is a great, affordable option.

“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,” he said.

Over the past three years, an average of nearly 150 high school seniors from Peekskill and Ossining chose to attend SUNY Westchester each year, according to a spokesperson, making this a high-impact program for both districts.

The program reduces anxiety around college admissions by transitioning students directly into SUNY Westchester’s Viking VP program, which provides priority appointments with academic and financial aid counselors, preferred access to new student orientation services. They will also 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.

For more information, contact the SUNY WCC Admissions Office at Admissions@sunywcc.edu or by calling 914-606-6735.