Do CUNY students get MetroCards?

CUNY offers several support and opportunity programs for students who need additional help. CUNY ASAP helps students earn an associate's degree within three years by providing financial, academic, and personal support. You'll benefit from: free unlimited MetroCards.



In 2026, CUNY (City University of New York) students do not automatically receive a free MetroCard just for being enrolled, but many are eligible through specific programs. The most prominent is the ASAP (Accelerated Study in Associate Programs), which provides participants with a free monthly MetroCard to ensure transportation costs aren't a barrier to graduation. Additionally, students with significant financial need may receive transit assistance through the "CUNY Edge" program. For the general student body, the transition to OMNY (the tap-to-pay system) has replaced traditional MetroCards, and while there is no "universal student discount" for college students in NYC yet, many campuses offer discounted fare programs through their student government or "Emergency Grant" funds. It is a "pro-tip" for 2026 CUNY students to visit their campus "Single Stop" office, which helps students navigate these benefits and can often find "transit vouchers" or subsidized cards that aren't widely advertised on the university's main website.

People Also Ask

As a CUNY student you can take advantage of special discounts on computers, office supplies, clothing, fitness club memberships, theater, movie tickets and a variety of other goods and services through the CUNY e-Mall.

MORE DETAILS

The Excelsior Scholarship allows eligible students to earn a free college degree at any City University of New York (CUNY) or State University of New York (SUNY) college.

MORE DETAILS

Subways and local buses Get free rides after 12 fares within seven days using the same device or contactless card with fare capping. Learn more about how to get free rides with OMNY.

MORE DETAILS

In fact, 88% of the time, OMNY is cheaper than a 30-day MetroCard if I average 10 rides a week. Let's see if we can generalize this to other weekly averages: As you can see, up until I average 11 rides a week, OMNY is usually better. More often than not, I'll save money if I stick with it and skip the Unlimited card.

MORE DETAILS

OMNY can currently be used to pay fares at all New York City Subway and Staten Island Railway stations, on all MTA buses, and on the Roosevelt Island Tram; when completely rolled out, it will also replace the MetroCard on Bee-Line buses, NICE buses, and AirTrain JFK.

MORE DETAILS

When can I use my Student MetroCard? You can use your Student MetroCard only on school days, during the hours specified on your card. It's important to remember that you can only use your Student MetroCard on days when your school is in session and only for transportation to and from schoolrelated activities.

MORE DETAILS

With a regular Pay-Per-Ride card, every subway ride costs $2.90 (plus a $1 fee for a new card if you don't already have one). With a Pay-Per-Ride, you get one free transfer to a bus within 2 hours. If you decide to go with a Pay-Per-Ride you can skip buying a MetroCard and use the OMNY Tap-To-Pay option.

MORE DETAILS

Pay for multiple people: Up to four riders can use the same payment method. Tap OMNY or swipe a pay-per-ride MetroCard as each person enters. Tap a contactless card or a digital wallet at OMNY readers to pay the fare.

MORE DETAILS

You can use cash, credit, or debit cards to make your purchase. New York City subway fares are $2.75 per trip. For visitors staying more than a couple of days you can buy a one week unlimited MetroCard for $33 or an unlimited monthly MetroCard for $127.00.

MORE DETAILS

Office 365 empowers you by delivering the tools you need to prepare coursework, create sophisticated reports and presentations, and collaborate over the web. As part of the CUNY enterprise agreement with Microsoft, every CUNY student is entitled to five installations of the Microsoft Office suite of applications.

MORE DETAILS

Cheapest Colleges in New York by In-State Tuition
  • CUNY Brooklyn College | $3,465/semester.
  • CUNY Lehman College | $3,465/semester.
  • CUNY Queens College | $3,465/semester.
  • SUNY Empire State College | $3,535/term.
  • SUNY Polytechnic Institute | $3,535/semester.


MORE DETAILS