Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani announced on Monday the launch of the first undergraduate scholarship program specifically for New York City municipal employees, marking a significant expansion of a decades old initiative aimed at professionalizing the city workforce.
The new program allows full time city workers to pursue associate and bachelor degrees with financial assistance from participating colleges and universities. It serves as an extension of the Mayor’s Graduate Scholarship Program, which has operated for more than sixty years. Under the new rebranding, both tracks will fall under the unified Mayor’s Scholarship Program, managed by the Department of Citywide Administrative Services.
“Our city moves when our workers do,” Mayor Mamdani said during a press conference at City Hall. “By expanding this program to include undergraduate degrees, we are investing in a new generation of public servants who act ambitiously, think creatively and believe firmly in the power of government to deliver for the many.”
The decision to include undergraduate studies follows a surge in interest for higher education among city staff. Applications for the graduate portion of the program increased more than 30 percent over the last two years. Data from a recent sampling of approximately 100,000 city employees revealed that nearly half did not hold an undergraduate degree, a statistic that officials said highlighted a clear need for more accessible pathways to advancement.
Unlike many municipal benefits, these scholarships are not funded directly by the city treasury. Instead, the awards are provided by a cohort of ten partner institutions that have agreed to offer tuition discounts or grants to city workers. The initial list of partners includes Columbia University School of General Studies, the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies, Fordham University and Adelphi University.
Yume Kitasei, the commissioner of the Department of Citywide Administrative Services, called the expansion an investment in the future of city government. “We are opening the doors for professional growth and building an even stronger workforce for New York City,” she said.
For many city workers, the financial burden of tuition has remained the primary obstacle to returning to school. The program seeks to remove those barriers by connecting employees with schools that specifically cater to nontraditional students. A spokesperson for the Columbia University School of General Studies noted that the mission of the program aligns with their goal of attracting talented students who have taken unconventional paths to higher education.
The application window for the inaugural undergraduate cohort opened on Monday and will remain active through April 27. Applicants must be full time employees and obtain approval from their respective agency personnel officers before their materials are reviewed. Those selected are expected to begin their studies in the fall 2026 semester.
While the undergraduate track is the current focus, the mayor’s office confirmed that applications for the graduate scholarship cohort will follow their traditional schedule, opening in mid September.
Officials said they hope to add more participating schools to the undergraduate program in the coming months, aiming to match the more than thirty institutions already involved in the graduate track.
