ALBANY – A recent survey by the National Association of State Grant and Aid Programs (NASSGAP) upholds New York’s continuing support of college students through grant and other aid programs. At a time when nearly half the state grant programs across the country reduced award dollars, New York State increased grant aid by 10 percent and issued over 374,000 awards – more than any other state.
New York ranked highly or very highly in every category of measurement included in the report.
“Despite the challenging economic times, the State has maintained its commitment to ensure the doors of higher education remain open to all economically-disadvantaged New Yorkers,” said Elsa Magee, acting president of the New York State Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC). HESC is the State’s student financial aid agency, helping people pay for college.
“New York understands that it takes an educated workforce to grow the state’s economy, and remains a leader in providing need-based aid. The Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) grants hundreds of thousands of New York State resident college students access to higher education and remains a model for other states to follow,” Magee said.
According to the survey, New York is a national leader in:
? Total student aid dollars (grants and scholarships) awarded – ($1.038 billion).
? Total student grant dollars awarded ($913 million), up 10.8 percent over 2008-2009.
? Total number of need-based student grants awarded (374,327).
? Average state need-based undergraduate aid awarded per full time equivalent student – $1,027, more than twice the national average.
The entire NASSGAP survey is available at www.nassgap.org.
Courtesy of New York State Higher Education Services Corporation
