November 17 – 21, 2014 is College Application Week in New York. The statewide event, coordinated by the New York State Higher Education Services Program (HESC), is part of a national effort to engage, excite and encourage students to apply for college by encouraging every graduating high school senior to complete at least one application for postsecondary education.

During the designated Week, high school guidance counselors and volunteer college admission staff across the state will help thousands of high school seniors at nearly 200 high schools apply for admission to college, with special focus placed on students who would be the first in their families to attend, low-income students or those who may not have otherwise considered applying for college.

Only 44 percent of New Yorkers currently hold a Bachelor’s degree, yet by 2020, 65 percent of jobs in the state, particularly those in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields, will require a postsecondary degree. STEM careers are growing two and a half times faster than other fields in New York, so it is critical that New York attains an educated workforce to compete nationally and globally.

“Our goal during College Application Week is to provide every graduating high school senior the opportunity to apply to college,” said Elsa M. Magee, Acting President of HESC. “The overwhelming response we’ve received from high schools and volunteers to this year’s announcement has been tremendous, as we make even greater strides to bridge the gap between the educational aspirations of our students and their successful enrollment in college.”

HESC provides support planning and coordinating College Application Week activities, online program planning tool kits to high school site coordinators, and a dedicated website, GoCollegeNY.org/Apply for coordinators and students.

About New York College Application Week: College Application Week (CAW) is a national initiative led by the American College Application Campaign (ACAC) and the American Council on Education (ACE) with the goal of providing every graduating high school senior the opportunity to apply to college. Special focus is placed on assisting students who would be the first in their families to attend college, low-income students, and students who may not have otherwise seriously considered applying to college. CAW began as a pilot program at a single high school in North Carolina in 2005; in 2013, more than 153,000 students across the nation submitted almost 220,000 college applications.

About HESC: HESC is New York State’s student financial aid agency that helps people pay for college and a national leader in providing need based grant and scholarship award money to college-going students. At HESC’s core are programs like the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP), numerous state scholarships, federal college access grants and a highly successful College Savings program. HESC puts college within the reach of hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers each year through programs like these and through the guidance it provides to students, families and counselors. In 2013-14, HESC helped more than 388,000 students achieve their college dreams by providing more than $984 million in grants, scholarships and loan forgiveness benefits, including $935.5 million awarded through the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP).