Le Moyne introduces $10,000 scholarship offer for all New York students

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Le Moyne College, beginning in the fall of 2018, plans to provide all accepted, full-time, incoming first-year students from New York state a $10,000 scholarship over four years.

The program, dubbed “Promise NY,” has no income-eligibility requirements, the college said in a news release posted Monday on its website.

The scholarship is in addition to all other merit- or need-based aid, Le Moyne said.

In addition to the scholarship, the Promise NY program “promises” students will be “kept on a path” to complete their undergraduate degrees in four years, have a mentor, complete an internship, and get a job interview with an “accomplished” alumnus.

 “Promise NY is our way of ensuring that students have nothing standing in their way when it comes to their education and their futures,” Linda LeMura, president of Le Moyne College, said in the release.

To receive the scholarship, students accepted to Le Moyne must reside in New York and must enroll in at least 12 credits per semester.

Students “will not be required” to pay back the scholarship if they decide to move out of state for personal or professional reasons after graduation.

The cost of a Le Moyne education is about $48,700 per year, which includes tuition, fees, room, board, and personal expenses such as travel and books, according to the Le Moyne website. The college’s tuition is nearly $33,000 for the current academic year.

Excelsior Scholarship

The Le Moyne Promise NY program comes after New York State introduced the Excelsior Scholarship earlier this year, offering free tuition at SUNY schools for students with total family income under $100,000 this year (the income threshold will rise in later year). The Excelsior Scholarship requires students to stay in New York state after graduation for the same number of years in which they received the scholarship. If not, the scholarship becomes an interest-free loan that needs to be paid back.

Academic support

As part of Promise NY, Le Moyne has “committed to working closely with students to provide all of the support they need” to complete their undergraduate degrees in four years, the school said.

Students must remain in good academic standing.

Le Moyne will help students “pursue a major that aligns” with their interests and career goals, and enroll in the classes they need to stay on schedule. Students “must commit to regularly” visiting their advisors and seeking guidance from academic-support services.

Le Moyne’s career-advising staff will work closely with students to identify and secure an internship that fits with their career aspirations. The school also said it will also help students find the right faculty, staff, alumni or community mentor from the day they step foot in their first class until the time they graduate.

Before students leave campus, they will have the chance to interview with an alumnus to “practice” their interviewing skills and “gain valuable feedback on how to advocate for themselves as well-rounded young professionals” in a competitive job market, Le Moyne promises.

“Concerns about career readiness, job interviews, and paying for a degree are major stressors for many students and their families,” William Cheetham, assistant VP of enrollment management at Le Moyne, said.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com