Chancellor King Announces Status of SUNY FAFSA Completion Campaign Expansion to Encourage and Assist College Students to Complete the Financial Aid Form
August 27, 2024
More than 122,000 SUNY Students Reached By Phone, Text, and Postcards
At SUNY There is a Place for Everyone, as Community Colleges Remain Open This Week for Enrollment
New York, NY – As New York State's college students start the Fall 2024 semester at the State University of New York's 64 campuses, Chancellor John B. King Jr. announced that more than 122,000 new and continuing SUNY students have been personally contacted to fill out their FAFSA as part of SUNY's expanded FAFSA Completion Campaign to connect students with the financial aid they are entitled to.
The multi-tiered campaign is designed to help more New Yorkers unlock eligible financial aid through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form. Due to delays in the federal release of the new FAFSA and federal technical glitches, year over year, FAFSA submission rates are down 11.6%. According to an analysis by the National College Attainment Network, the high school class of 2023 left more than $4 billion in Pell Grants nationwide unclaimed by not completing the FAFSA. In New York State, nearly $226 million was left unclaimed.
As a result of funding from the U.S. Department of Education, SUNY partnered with Trellis – a national non-profit service provider – on a comprehensive FAFSA completion campaign to reach the 122,000 SUNY students through text, calls and/or postcards to encourage them to complete the FAFSA and provide general instructions on the form. The campaign has been extended through the end of September.
In addition to the outreach conducted by Trellis, SUNY has:
- Expanded campus capacity to expedite financial aid awards and conduct outreach to students and families to encourage them to complete the FAFSA and to answer questions about financial aid;
- Invested in partnerships with trusted community-based organizations who can provide the critical support to students and their families in completing the FAFSA, including through Spanish-language events;
- Launched an ongoing digital campaign to encourage students to complete the FAFSA, with a particular focus on communities with low FAFSA completion rates; and
- Announced plans to grow the FAFSA Completion Corps, which began last fall with funding from the AmeriCorps for 50 students. Plans are in place to expand the FAFSA Completion Corps to 70 students at 14 SUNY campuses.
Trellis, along with previously announced support through the ECMC Foundation, complements a broad array of SUNY System support provided to all campuses to build capacity to process delayed FAFSA submissions, and address student and family questions about changes on the FAFSA and financial aid awards. SUNY also worked with school districts across the state to improve their FAFSA completion rates, including weekly online forums.
Prospective students can apply by the end of this week to take advantage of SUNY's community colleges and be enrolled for the 2024-2025 academic year. Associate degrees result in an average lifetime earnings increase of $400,000 compared to individuals with only a high school diploma, and 64% of SUNY community college students graduate with zero federal student loan debt. Additionally, SUNY community colleges are investing in expanded student services like mental health resources and programs for careers in healthcare thanks to an additional $8 million investment in the NYS 2024-25 budget. For more information about SUNY's community colleges, please visit: suny.edu/communitycollege.
"By choosing to pursue a college education at SUNY, students are making a significant commitment to their future success. Completing the FAFSA is just one part of ensuring that success becomes a reality by connecting students to financial aid," said SUNY Chancellor King. "Today, 52% of SUNY's in-state resident students attend full time tuition-free thanks to state and federal financial aid. It's essential that we continue to ensure that our students have the resources available to complete the FAFSA."
The SUNY Board of Trustees said, "FAFSA completion partnerships are a direct investment into the success and upward mobility of New Yorkers across the state because access to financial aid means more students can attend college. With the annual wage gap between college and high school grads widening to an astonishing $24,000 for 22–27-year-olds, higher education has never been more valuable. SUNY is proud of this partnership and committed to ensuring potential students have the resources they need to make their goals a reality."
New York State Commission on National and Community Service Executive Director Linda Cohen said, "The SUNY FAFSA program is a prime example of the AmeriCorps motto, 'Getting Things Done.' It is practical, real-world assistance that has shown to be a critical factor expanding the opportunities for more of New York State's citizens to attend college."
Trellis CEO Dr. Debra J. Chromy said, "Filling out the FAFSA is a vital step in unlocking the opportunities that higher education offers. Our partnership with SUNY in this campaign is a testament to our shared commitment to helping students navigate the complexities of financial aid, ensuring that every eligible student can secure the support they need to pursue higher education."
National College Attainment Network Senior Director, Data and Strategic Initiatives Bill DeBaun said, "It is not too late to file a FAFSA, and it appears SUNY is pulling out all the stops to make sure that students know this and get connected with critical financial aid. It has been a difficult FAFSA completion cycle, but active outreach efforts like these are what it will take to close FAFSA completion gaps and keep students on a postsecondary pathway. The stakes to increasing educational attainment are high for not only students but also their families, communities, and New York State overall. Bolstering outreach efforts like these will benefit students not just this academic year but will also build momentum for future classes of students."
Governor Kathy Hochul introduced legislation, which was passed in the FY2025 Enacted Budget, requiring universal FAFSA completion beginning in the 2024-25 academic year for graduating high school seniors in an effort to boost completion rates. Studies show that students who complete the FAFSA are more likely to go to college. Specifically, 90% of high school seniors who complete the form go to college directly after graduation, compared to just 55% of seniors who don't fill out the aid application.
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, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.4 million students amongst its entire 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 $1.1 billion in fiscal year 2023, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There are more than three million SUNY alumni worldwide, and one in three New Yorkers with a college degree is a SUNY alum. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunities, visit suny.edu.
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Holly Liapis
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