Governor Hochul Launches Public Awareness Campaign to Encourage Students to Complete the FAFSA

 

College Students at SUNY, CUNY, and Other New York Colleges and Universities Share Personal Financial Aid Stories and Offer Support for Filling Out the FAFSA

Members of the Governor’s Administration and Education Leaders Release PSAs Emphasizing the Importance of Applying for Financial Aid – Student Videos and PSAs Available Here

Governor Hochul’s FY 2025 Enacted Budget Expands Access to Financial Aid by Making FAFSA Completion Universal and Expanding the Tuition Assistance Program

Governor Kathy Hochul launched a public awareness campaign with college students, Administration officials, and education leaders to encourage students to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid to unlock state and federal financial aid opportunities. This week, students at the State University New York and City University of New York campuses as well as at other New York colleges and universities will assist in the public awareness campaign to help students fill out the FAFSA. Additionally, leaders from Governor Hochul’s Cabinet will participate with video PSAs to post on social media and as a resource for schools to share with students. Student videos and PSAs are available here. This push is a part of Financial Aid Awareness Month, which Governor Hochul launched at the beginning of April to ensure students can access the tools they need to pursue a higher education.

“Higher education can change people's lives, and we are expanding pathways to college for all New York students,” Governor Hochul said. “This week, we’re encouraging every student pursing a college degree to fill out the FAFSA as soon as they can to access the financial support available to them.”

Last year, New York’s high school students left over $200 million in federal aid unclaimed by not filling out the FAFSA. Mirroring national trends, FAFSA submission rates in New York State are down 24 percent compared to the same time last year as a result of federal challenges and delays issuing the new FAFSA form. The FAFSA is free, and opens the door to federal and state aid, including Tuition Assistance Program and Excelsior Scholarship, as well as other college funding awards.

In 2023, SUNY launched the SUNY FAFSA Completion Corps to help prospective students complete the FAFSA. SUNY received a nearly $300,000 grant from AmeriCorps to launch the initiative, and there are currently nearly 50 SUNY students involved across seven SUNY campuses. Earlier this month, CUNY launched the CUNY Financial Aid Support Team (FAST) to help students and families access financial aid. Students participating in the SUNY FAFSA Completion Corps and CUNY FAST are leading the FAFSA completion efforts on their campuses and on social media to offer support and make sure students know what financial aid is available to them. Students can follow #FAFSAReady to hear from current college students about their FAFSA experience.

In addition to students, the New York State Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC), State University of New York (SUNY), City University of New York (CUNY) and academic and community organizations in New York are joining the Governor in her campaign to make sure New Yorkers take every opportunity to access funding for college.

Each institution continues to host multiple events this month to help students and their families complete the FAFSA or the Dream Act, and Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) applications. Events include information sessions on how to fill out financial aid applications, virtual drop in opportunities to connect with HESC, SUNY and CUNY experts, and discussions about scholarship opportunities for students. A full schedule of events can be found here.

In the FY 2025 Enacted Budget, Governor Hochul secured provisions to help expand access to financial aid. The initiatives include making FAFSA completion universal in New York State and expanding TAP. The TAP expansion increases the minimum award from $500 to $1,000. Additionally, the Budget increases the dependent student net taxable income (NTI) limit for TAP eligibility from $80,000 to $125,000, the independent married student NTI limit from $40,000 to $60,000, and the independent single student NTI limit from $10,000 to $30,000.

New York State has been working to improve the FAFSA completion statistics by training college students to provide in-person assistance with the financial aid application process.

SUNY and CUNY have taken several steps to assist students and their families in applying for financial aid to make college more affordable including:

• Delaying deposit deadlines at state operated campuses until no earlier than May 15 and June 1 for commitment day at CUNY campuses, so that families have time to make an informed decision with their financial aid offers
• FAFSA information sessions across the state, including FAFSA Completion events in Rochester, Buffalo, Yonkers and New York City
• Virtual FAFSA completion workshops, held in 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
• The launch of the SUNY FAFSA Completion Corps, an AmeriCorps funded program that supports nearly 50 SUNY students serving as near-peer mentors to help students complete the FAFSA.
• The launch of CUNY Financial Aid Support Team (FAST) earlier this month to help 100,000 students complete the FAFSA. The Petrie Foundation awarded CUNY $1 million for the initiative.
• Helping high school students complete FAFSA forms through CUNY’s K16 Initiatives College and Career Advisory Programs
• CUNY sent emails to current CUNY students and Fall 24 applicants about changes to the form and launched a social media campaign. The University will also host FAFSA Completion Workshops with Admissions. View workshop dates online.
• CUNY campuses have increased financial aid workshops and completion events all spring and have leveraged Federal Work Study funds in partnership with the National Partnership for Student Success to hire students to support financial aid offices. The University will also host FAFSA Completion Workshops with Admissions. Workshop dates will be posted here.