SUNY Chancellor King Encourages New York Students to Fill Out the FAFSA to Receive Financial Aid for College
October 5, 2026
Chancellor King Joined Parents and High School Students at SUNY Broome to Highlight the Opening of Applications for the 2027-28 FAFSA
Photos Are Available Here from the Informational Event
Binghamton, NY — State University of New York Chancellor John B. King Jr. participated in an event at SUNY Broome to kick-off the opening of applications for the 2027-2028 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form. During the event, prospective students and their families had the opportunity to learn more about the financial aid process and received one-on-one assistance from SUNY financial aid professionals.
According to a report by the National College Attainment Network, New York State's high school class of 2024 students left almost $250 million on the table by not completing the FAFSA. Studies show that 90 percent of high school seniors who complete the form go to college directly after graduation, compared to just 55 percent of seniors who don't fill out the aid application.
"There is a place at SUNY for every New Yorker, and financial aid is vital to ensuring every student can access an affordable, high-quality education," said SUNY Chancellor King. "Encouraging students to fill out their FAFSA form is part of SUNY's commitment to supporting the success of New York State's students at every stage of their academic journey. It was wonderful to join prospective students and their families, our FAFSA Corps members, and financial aid staff to highlight the importance of completing FAFSA forms."
The SUNY Board of Trustees said, "Ensuring students understand what financial aid opportunities are available to them is an important part of making higher education more accessible. SUNY is proud to provide prospective students and their families opportunities to receive the resources and support they need to pursue a college education and reach their full potential."
During the event, Chancellor King joined members of SUNY's FAFSA Corps, which help prospective students complete the federal application for college financial aid, as well as College Access Ambassadors, financial aid staff from SUNY Broome and Binghamton University, and SUNY System Administration staff to highlight the benefits of FAFSA completion to the greater Binghamton community and encourage students and their families to complete the FAFSA as soon as possible. The 2027-2028 FAFSA is now open. Students and families should visit SUNY's website here to get started on their FAFSA application.
SUNY Broome President Tony D. Hawkins said, "Too often, we find that students skip the FAFSA because they believe they won't qualify for financial aid, but nearly every SUNY Broome student is eligible for some form of financial support. Filling out the FAFSA is the only way to know for sure. Our sincere hope is that all students will complete the application, and take advantage of every available resource to make a college education affordable and attainable."
Chancellor King also participated in a conversation with Brianni Valerio, a 2026 graduate from the State University of New York at Albany and former member of the SUNY FAFSA Corps, to highlight her work helping students and families navigate FAFSA completion, as well as highlighting her own experience with financial aid and the role it played in making her college education possible.
SUNY has multiple upcoming virtual events in English and Spanish for students and their families to navigate the FAFSA completion process. Upcoming events include:
- Tuesday, October 13 at 6:30 p.m.
- Tuesday, October 27 at 6:30 p.m. (in Spanish)
- Thursday, October 29 at 6:30 p.m.
To learn more about these workshops, or to register to attend one, visit: https://engage.suny.edu/portal/fafsa_workshops.
State Senator Lea Webb (SUNY Broome ’01) said, "As a member of our Senate Higher Education Committee, making college more affordable and accessible is extremely important to me. One of the great programs we have to do that is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) application. I appreciate that SUNY Chancellor King visited SUNY Broome, created a space for one-on-one assistance, and encouraged students and their families to use this important resource."
State Assemblymember Joe Angelino said, "This was a great event that helped explain the benefits to students and their families. New York leaves money on the table that can be used to help people attend college; events like these will ensure people take advantage of those funds. I urge everyone to apply for FAFSA."
State Assemblymember Donna Lupardo said, "Completing the FAFSA is one of the most important steps students and families can take when planning for college. It is the main gateway to accessing federal, state, and institutional money to help pay for college. Unfortunately, many students leave financial aid dollars on the table simply because they don’t complete the free form. I’d like to thank Chancellor King, SUNY Broome, and the FAFSA Corps for helping students and families take this important first step toward their college education."
Approximately 75 percent of all full-time SUNY undergraduate students receive financial aid, and 52 percent of New York State resident full-time SUNY students attend tuition-free thanks to federal, state, and institutional financial aid, including the FAFSA, New York State Tuition Assistance Program (TAP), and Excelsior Scholarship. Additionally, Governor Hochul successfully championed legislation requiring universal FAFSA completion beginning in the 2024-25 academic year for graduating high school seniors in an effort to boost completion rates.
The 2025-26 Enacted State Budge also included the doubling of New York States Tuition Assistance Program's (TAP) minimum award from $500 to $1,000, increased the maximum income threshold from $80,000 to $125,000 for dependent students, and increased the independent student maximum income threshold from $10,000 to $30,000.
Governor Hochul announced New York State's 2026 College Application Initiative to help high school seniors navigate the college application process and take the next step toward higher education. Students can apply for free to SUNY from October 19 through November 2 through the initiative. Prospective students interested in applying to a SUNY institution can do so here: https://www.suny.edu/attend/apply-to-suny/.
SUNY has taken numerous steps to assist students and their families in applying for financial aid to make college more affordable, including:
- Announcing the SUNY College Access Ambassadors Program to leverage the expertise of high school counselors to assist incoming students in completing financial aid applications;
- Hosting virtual and in-person FAFSA completion workshops, held in both English and Spanish, to help families complete the FAFSA;
- Working with State partners to develop and promote online resources, including print-ready resources for counselors and students to help guide them through the financial aid process and;
- Continued engagement of the SUNY FAFSA Completion Corps, an AmeriCorps funded program through which current SUNY students support prospective students and their families with FAFSA completion, that began in October 2023 with 50 students and has grown to 70 students at 14 SUNY campuses.
About the State University of New York
The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, and more than 95 percent of all New Yorkers live within 30 miles of any one of SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the country’s oldest school of maritime, the state's only college of optometry, 12 Educational Opportunity Centers, over 30 ATTAIN digital literacy labs, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.7 million students across its portfolio of credit- and non-credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic research in New York. Research expenditures system-wide are nearly $1.5 billion in fiscal year 2025, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There are more than three million SUNY alumni worldwide, and annually one in three New Yorkers who earn a college degree is a SUNY alum. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunities, visit suny.edu.
Share this:
Holly Liapis
518-320-1311
Email the Office of Communications
