Key points
- Zahran Mamdani’s election as mayor of New York City has brought renewed attention to higher education and student affordability, but his powers to enact statewide changes such as NYU tuition waivers are limited.
- His most direct proposal affecting students is the Community to Classroom Tuition Assistance Program, which would offer up to $12,000 a year to future teachers who commit to teaching in city schools.
- Mamdani also supports New York City’s New Deal and free buses, although both require cooperation from state leaders and funding outside the City Council’s control.
Zahran Mamdani He is set to win the New York City mayoral election on November 4, 2025, and represents an ideological shift for the city. At 34, he will become the youngest mayor in more than a century. His campaign was built on economic justice and education, and played a role: from CUNY classrooms to K-12 classrooms.
For college students, Mamdani’s victory could shape city-level policies that affect tuition assistance, public school funding, and the cost of commuting. But it’s equally important to understand the limits of what a mayor can do.
Would you like to save this?
We’ll email you this article, so you can come back to it later!
Fee-for-service plan to grow teacher pipeline
The most compelling educational proposal with a clear path forward is Mamdani’s Community to Classroom Program. The plan, announced in 2025, aims to help the city meet its obligations under the 2022 class size law, which requires all New York City classrooms to have between 20 and 25 students by 2028.
To help achieve this goal, Mamdani wants the city to fund tuition assistance for future teachers. The program would attract approximately 1,000 new teachers each year, at an estimated annual cost of about $12 million. Participants will receive up to $12,000 annually in tuition assistance, free OMNY transit passes, help covering certification exam costs, and mentorship from current city teachers.
There will be two paths:
- A high school-to-college pathway that provides college credit, guidance, and tuition assistance to students who commit to teaching in New York City schools after graduation.
- Career Change Track, which provides similar educational support to adults seeking educational degrees through CUNY or SUNY programs.
Funding will come from cutting “contracts and inflation” within the central bureaucracy of the New York Department of Education.
For students pursuing degrees, the program can translate directly into tuition relief and guaranteed employment – a rare combination in public service work.
Support the New Deal for the City University of New York
Mamdani’s advocacy for CUNY students predates his mayoral campaign. As a state Assemblyman, he voted against the 2022 state budget, arguing that it failed to make adequate investments in the university system. In his speech, he pointed out the need:
- Hire more academic advisors
- Create adjunct pay parity
- Expand mental health services on campus
- Reducing and eventually eliminating tuition fees
These goals are consistent with New Deal for the City University of New York (PDF file). The proposal calls for restoring free tuition, increasing public funding for infrastructure and staffing, and addressing inequality in pay for assistant professors.
Mamdani also co-authored a bill to redirect property tax revenues from tax-exempt private universities such as Columbia University and New York University to the City University of New York. Both institutions are among the city’s largest landowners but pay little or no property taxes. It also ranks among the most expensive colleges in the country.
As mayor, Mamdani can continue to advocate for these reforms, particularly through city funding for CUNY community colleges, which rely more heavily on city dollars than their four-year program counterparts.
However, the state controls the majority of CUNY’s funding, meaning any move toward free tuition would require approval by the New York State Legislature and Governor Kathy Hochul.
Free buses and affordability of transportation
Mamdani has also made public transportation a centerpiece of his affordability agenda. Proposing free bus service through New York City. He argues that bus riders are disproportionately from the working class and that eliminating the $2.90 bus fare would improve access to jobs, schools and basic services.
The idea follows a year-long state-mandated pilot program that tested the free service on one bus route in each district. According to MTA data, the experiment reduced assaults on bus operators by 32 percent, although it did not significantly improve bus speeds.
The challenge lies in implementation. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is a state-run agency, not under direct city control. The estimated cost of eliminating bus fares is about $630 million annually, which raises questions about who will fund the program. Mamdani has proposed investing in the city, but budget watchdogs, including the Citizens Budget Commission, have warned that the city and state face multibillion-dollar deficits in the coming years.
For students (especially those traveling to CUNY campuses), free or discounted transportation can significantly reduce costs. But without state cooperation or a new revenue stream, eliminating citywide fares remains ambitious.
Political and financial obstacles
While Mamdani’s platform has galvanized young and progressive voters, several structural obstacles stand between his campaign promises and full implementation:
- State control: CUNY’s funding and MTA fare policy fall primarily within the jurisdiction of the state. The mayor can advocate for a budget for community colleges and influence the design of transit streets, but he cannot unilaterally eliminate tuition or fees.
- Budget constraints: The city faces projected budget gaps between $8 billion and $10 billion Over the next few years, as COVID-era federal funding expires. The new programs will compete with housing, public safety, and other assistance for limited resources.
- Need scale: To meet the maximum class size, the city must hire approximate staffing 18 thousand new teachers By 2028. A Mamdani tuition assistance program of 1,000 pounds per year would help, but it will not close the gap.
What students can expect
For college students, Mamdani’s election will likely bring additional but tangible benefits in the short term:
- Expanded Study assistance Opportunities for those pursuing degrees.
- possible Transit discounts or limited-route no-fare pilot programs That reduces transportation costs.
- more City funding for community colleges and advocate for broader investment in CUNY.
In the long term, Mamdani’s success will depend on his ability to partner with state leaders and maintain public pressure for reinvestment in public higher education.
Bottom line
Mamdani’s victory puts a little education back on the city’s political agenda. Its immediate impact could come from city-funded programs like Community to Classroom, while its larger ambitions — free tuition at CUNY and free transportation — will require cooperation in Albany and new funding sources.
For New York students, this means keeping a close eye on what happens next. Results may not happen overnight, but the City Council’s direction is unequivocally shifting toward making education and transportation accessible to those who need it most.
Don’t miss these other stories:
Cities sue over PSLF employer rule change
Trump administration resumes student loan forgiveness programs
Can President Trump reverse student loan forgiveness?
Editor: Colin Greaves
The post What Zahran Mamdani’s win means for New York College students appeared first on The College Investor.
