Chancellor Carmen Fariña said on Monday that dozens of public high schools would allow eleventh graders to take the SAT during the school day at no cost, one of several initiatives to expand college access in New York City schools.

Fariña said she hoped the new pilot program would encourage more students to take the test and apply to colleges.

"No one should say I'm not going because I didn't take this test, or because I didn't know that there was this available to me," she said during a visit to the High School of Fashion Industries in Chelsea, one of the schools in the pilot program. 

The city will allow about 15,000 juniors at 92 high schools to take the test in school next spring. The program will expand to all schools for the spring of 2017, at a total cost of $1.8 million.

"I would hate to call it an extra cost," said Deputy Chancellor Phil Weinberg. "This is an investment we decided to make in our students."

Next year, all juniors and sophomores would have access to free in-school testing. They also will receive personalized practice accounts on the online tutorial service Khan Academy and application fee waivers, if needed. 

Currently, students take the test on specific weekends, and often have to travel to testing sites outside their neighborhoods. And while those who qualified for free and reduced price lunch could waive paying the $54.50 fee, there was cumbersome paperwork to complete.

The Department of Education said 56 percent of students in the class of 2015 took the SAT at least once. That translates to 48,600 students who took the test. 

The SAT and the ACT are the two tests widely used by U.S. colleges for admissions. The College Board, which administers the SAT, said an increasing number of states and districts are offering the test for free during the school day in order to increase college awareness.

"Previously, only some students, no matter how talented, made it to the SAT on the weekend, " said College Board president David Coleman, who praised city's decision. "Now, all students will take the SAT during the school day, which evidence shows has a deep impact on college access."

In the 2015-16 school year, the SAT will be administered for free during the school day in every public high school in Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, Maine, Michigan, New Hampshire and the District of Columbia, as well as in more than 100 districts across 17 more states, according to the College Board.

Some critics of standardized testing, such as the group FAIRTest, have noted that hundreds of colleges are moving away from their reliance on the SAT and ACT.

But Fariña called the testing "preparation for life," because students will be given assessments throughout college.

The chancellor announced the expansion of SAT School Day during College Application Week, a coordinated effort focused on planning and application activities for high school students.

At the High School of Fashion Industries, she saw a class of seniors learning how to fill out their applications. "When I was your age, I didn't even know that I could go to college," she told them, explaining how a teacher helped her navigate the process.

Isabella Lajara, a 17-year-old senior, said she took the SAT twice last year in order to improve her score and thinks it's a great idea to offer it for free, during the school day.

"I immediately thought how lucky the juniors were because they wouldn't have to wake up extra early to be here, they would be here in school with their peers, with their friends, seeing familiar faces."

As part of College Application Week, there will be a virtual college fair on Oct. 29 where students can have live online conversations with admissions officers and college students at over 100 colleges and universities. Students can register here.