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SUNY Sullivan outlines FAFSA, aid and retention efforts; reports 2,000 FAFSA submissions and $2.2M in Pell awards
Summary
College officials described local outreach to increase FAFSA completion, summarized financial-aid statistics for the academic year, and said the college will not raise tuition or room-and-board rates for the coming year while expanding Open Educational Resources.
Officials from SUNY Sullivan briefed the Sullivan County Legislature on campus financial-aid outreach and student support programs, saying the college has increased high-school FAFSA assistance and is working to expand retention and adult-learner strategies.
Carrie Whitehead, director of financial aid at SUNY Sullivan, said the college’s office received more than 2,000 FAFSA submissions this year and awarded about $2,200,000 in Pell grants. She reported that 71% of SUNY Sullivan students received federal grants, 63% received state grants, 23% borrowed student loans and roughly 91% of students received some form of financial aid. “This is what students have to complete and any student, regardless of income, who wants to be considered for federal, state, or school financial aid programs need to complete this FAFSA,” Whitehead said.
College leadership said they are increasing outreach to local high schools—bringing FAFSA assistance to campuses and running on-site events—and that students may list up to 20 colleges on the FAFSA so institutions can receive the filing. Whitehead described the FAFSA’s IRS data import feature and explained the verification process the federal government may require.
SUNY Sullivan said it will continue to award state programs such as TAP and explained eligibility issues for noncitizen students. The college cited the Sullivan Promise scholarship (county-funded) and last-dollar scholarships as supplements after Pell and TAP awards; 13 students received the Promise scholarship this year, officials said.
The college reported no planned increases in tuition or residence-hall fees for the coming year and said it is expanding Open Educational Resources (OER) to reduce textbook costs. Administrators said teams are working on first-year student success programs and adult-learner outreach; they also reported a recent job fair that drew an estimated 53–54 employers. SUNY Sullivan said it will return to the legislature with further data on enrollment and retention later in the spring.
