SUNY extends financial-aid campaign through September

ALBANY — SUNY says its campaign encouraging students to apply for financial aid will continue for a few more weeks. The effort will last through the end of September, SUNY said in its Aug. 27 announcement. SUNY Chancellor John King, Jr. said the system has contacted more than 122,000 new and continuing SUNY students to complete their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form. It was part of SUNY’s expanded FAFSA Completion Campaign to “connect students with the financial aid they are entitled to,” SUNY said. As a result of funding from the U.S. Department of Education, SUNY partnered with Trellis — a national nonprofit service provider — on a 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. “Filling out the FAFSA is a vital step in unlocking the opportunities that higher education offers,” Debra Chromy, CEO of Trellis, said in the SUNY announcement. “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.” 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 percent. In addition to the outreach conducted by Trellis, SUNY says it 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. The system also invested in partnerships with community-based organizations that can provide support for students and their families in completing the FAFSA, including through Spanish-language events. Additionally, SUNY says it launched an ongoing digital campaign to encourage students to complete the FAFSA, with a particular focus on communities with low FAFSA completion rates. It also 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, per the SUNY announcement. SUNY cited an analysis by the National College Attainment Network, which indicated 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. “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,” King said in the SUNY announcement. “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.” 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,” Bill DeBaun, senior director, data and strategic initiatives with the National College Attainment Network, said in the SUNY announcement. “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,” he added.