Rooted in CUNY’s foundational mission of providing accessible public higher education, York College was established in 1966 and opened its doors in Bayside, Queens, in 1967. Strong advocacy from the Jamaica community secured it as the college’s permanent home in 1968, and after navigating temporary sites and surviving the fiscal crisis of the 1970s, construction on the permanent campus began in 1980, with the Academic Core opening in 1986. Over the decades, York expanded from its liberal arts base to include career-focused programs. Now organized into three distinct schools and serving over 7,200 students, York College continues its commitment to student success and academic excellence.
York Team
Roosevelt Smith, Assistant Director FYE and Mentoring
Rashaun Banjo, Instructor and Financial Coach
Shannon Ramsaroop, Financial Coach
York’s Course Based Model
The in-person FINC 101 – Fundamentals of Financial Planning and Wealth Management course was first offered in the fall 2025 semester. The course is designed to help students achieve several specific, tracked goals including increasing personal savings by $350 by the end of the course; creating, editing, and maintaining a personal budget using tools like You Need a Budget (YNAB) or Excel; and either establishing access to a personal credit score or improving an existing score by 20 points.
York Innovative Practices
Students were recruited into the fall course offering through a summer financial literacy initiative which provided students with foundational knowledge and served as a strategic recruitment pipeline, successfully enrolling numerous participants from the Accelerate, Complete, Engage (ACE) program and the Search for Education, Elevation, and Knowledge (SEEK) program that provides comprehensive academic, financial, and personal support to first-time college students. The program is designed to help students earn a bachelor’s degree while preparing them for future career and educational goals. The Men’s Center forged a strategic partnership with SEEK to provide targeted financial support and guidance, ensuring students within these programs have dedicated access to essential resources. For the spring 2026 semester, recruitment was expanded to students from a pool of junior and senior year students.
Progress to Date
For the 2025 Fall Semester, York enrolled 24 students. 17 passed the course and participated in at least two financial coaching sessions for a completion rate of 87.5%. Other milestones include:
- 82% created a budget
- 35% achieved a financial goal
- 29% increased their savings while participating in MSFCP with an average savings increase of $1,413