Half of the incoming CUNY student body in 2021 came from households with an income below $30,000, according to a comptroller analysis. Inflation and the COVID-19 pandemic, among other things, have exasperated financial hardship for many students.
The Envoy is here to help with this brief directory of opportunities and resources for students to save money.
- Free or discounted tickets are available to students for live performances at the Kaye Playhouse, Broadway, Off-Broadway, Carnegie Hall, and Lincoln Center.
CUNY students are eligible to sign up for memberships with the Theater Development Fund (TDF), an organization that provides low-cost tickets to live performances in New York.
Students can enjoy free/discounted admission to other lesser-known venues such as Gibney Dance, Academy of American Poets, Kaufman Music Center, and Rattlestick Playwrights Theater.
Visit The Office of The Arts and/or enroll in the department’s newsletter for more information on other special offers and student discounts at cultural institutions.
- The Hunter Library is an excellent resource for all students.
Check the library website for a vast collection of digitally-available literature before spending money on an expensive textbook for class. You can print in the library using your OneCard if you prefer to read physical copies.
Full-time students receive 300 pages at 5 cents per black-and-white page each semester, and part-time students receive 160 pages at the same rate.
- Adobe Creative Cloud is available to download for free to current students. Log in using your CUNY email (ending in @login.cuny.edu), or follow these step-by-step instructions.
Current students can also loan laptops, calculators and headphones at the A/V desk on the third floor of the Leon and Toby Cooperman Library. The laptops are available for short-term use of up to a week and long-term use of up to one semester at a time.
- Many streaming services provide discounts for students.
The Hunter Libraries provide over 26,000 free films for students to stream on Kanopy. MET Opera on Demand also has a collection of free recorded performances that students can stream.
Other entertainment streaming services that provide student discounts for subscriptions/memberships include Mubi, Peacock, Spotify, Paramount+, and Hulu. Another notable deal is the $5.99/month Spotify Premium and Hulu bundle.
- A reduced rate on public transportation is available to eligible students through programs like the MTA Fair Fares.
So before you potentially hop the turnstile and risk a hefty fine, check this website to see if you qualify for the program to get half-off on subway and bus fares.
Students commuting from New Jersey can receive a 25% discount on rail, bus or light rail monthly passes by signing up with their school email address through this Student Portal.
- Free food is available Monday through Saturday for any Hunter student with a valid ID at the Purple Apron Food Pantry in room B103 of the West Building and the Main Lobby of the Brookdale Campus Residence.
There is also a community fridge for the Upper East Side located near the corner of 1st Avenue and 92nd Street, or you can search for food assistance resources near you using this government database.
Many clubs, organizations, and academic departments host events that offer free food and are open to other Hunter students. So keep an eye out for flyers around campus or posts on social media advertising those functions.
Check out this Envoy article for affordable food vendors near Hunter!
- Free museum admission is available for students with a valid ID at over 15 different locations, such as The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, The Whitney Museum of American Art, and The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).
Some institutions are cultural partners with Hunter College, so they provide other perks, such as special events/programs at The MoMA or free admission for you and one guest at The Frick Collection & Art Reference Library.
- For news and other publications, many other affordable options are available to students, such as The Athenian, another news publication reporting about Hunter.
There is also The Olivetree Review (Hunter’s literary magazine), Hunted Hero Comics (a publication dedicated to student comics) and WHCS Radio (a variety of student-run radio shows airing Monday through Friday). Other CUNY-affiliated publications are the CUNYverse blog and CUNY TV.
Regarding major media outlets, students can receive a free New York Times subscription. The Washington Post has a student subscription for $1 per month, and The Wall Street Journal has one for $2 per month.
Let us know if you used any of these tips by reaching out to our Instagram @theenvoyhunter!
The Envoy 
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