Governor Cuomo Announces $3.2 Million in Grants to Expand College Access for Low-Income Students

On Tuesday, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced the release of a $3.2 million College Access Innovation Grant application that will be used by organizations to increase college enrollment and completion among low-income students across the State.

“New York’s legacy is built on providing opportunities for all, and through this competitive grant we are continuing that reputation and investing in programs that work for the people,” Governor Cuomo said. “This grant allows us to implement successful strategies that help low-income students entering college achieve greater educational and economic opportunities for their future.”

The College Access Innovation Grant will support strategies for student success by:

1. Connecting college-ready, low-income students to colleges and universities that match their academic achievement levels by providing customized information and assistance throughout the college application process. This allows for students to be matched to several colleges that best match their academic and financial levels.
2. Removing barriers that low-income students face in accessing financial aid. Completion of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), the federal financial aid eligibility form, will be promoted by making available workshops and individual attention to guide prospective students through a potentially prohibitive process.
3. Providing intensive college preparation, enrollment, and persistence through counseling, coaching and direction on the transition to college beginning in middle school through completion of the college freshman year.
4. Reconnecting adult learners to higher education through services that increase their college completion rates, as well as reduce their time to completion.
5. Establishing new and creative uses of technology to increase college opportunities for low-income students.

The average college-educated worker in New York State earns an estimated $25,000 more each year than somebody with only a high school diploma, and an estimated 53 percent of new jobs are projected to require at least some college education. Low-income students are 30 percent less likely to attend college after graduating from high school.