Purchase College - State University of New York
PA-7: Affordability and Access

Purchase College has a commitment to higher education access, student success, and college completion. And now, through New York State’s Excelsior Scholarship program, a greater number of New York students and families will be eligible to earn free tuition at Purchase College. There are other various programs available to students to aid in the cost of tuition that can be found on our Financial Services website.

Trends and other data pertaining to enrollment of low-income students is made available on the college's Fact Book site, which is updated yearly. Many of our need-based programs require faculty and staff participation to serve as mentors or tutors throughout the year. Before faculty and staff participate, they go through competence trainings and seminars.

The Department of Enrollment Management has partnered with Academic Services to promote the Success Fellows Program. This program is designed for first-generation, first-year freshmen to help with the transition to life at Purchase College and with helping them to reach their academic potential throughout their college careers. The Success Fellows includes a three- day immersion program that coincides with incoming students’ college-wide Summer Orientation. The program offers students the opportunity to connect with other incoming first-year students who share similar experiences, participate in a summer class taught by faculty to familiarize the them with academic expectations and resources, receive information about how to access academic support services and get involved on campus, and resources to better understand their financial aid awards and ask questions relating to financing your education. In addition by participating in the program, students can apply for additional scholarship opportunities. Success Fellows are paired with both a peer mentor and a faculty/staff mentor who works with the student for four years meeting with them regularly during the academic year. This year the Office of Admissions launched a campaign to admitted students letting them know about the Success Fellows Program and inviting them to apply. Students who had been identified as first-generation college students at the time of admission were sent a letter from the Dean of Student Affairs and a brochure on the benefits of the program. The office of admissions then followed up with these accepted students with emails directing them to the application. 363 admitted students were contacted about participating in Success Fellows Program 113 students applied to become Success Fellows 80 were accepted into the program 72% of the Success Fellows who reported ethnicity identified as an ethnicity other than white with 55% identifying as Hispanic/LatinX and all of the students identified as first-generation college students. The Merit Access Program (MAP) at Purchase College is designed to economically disadvantaged students, who do not meet the criteria to be admitted through EOP. In addition to orientation, MAP provides a mandatory Pre-Freshman Summer Program to orient students to different aspects of the college including services on campus that are important to their success. The Pre-Freshman Summer Program consists of workshops and activities which will help students to become familiar with college life. In addition, MAP provides academic/financial aid advising. MAP students are assigned a personal counselor who provide academic strategies and assist with personal concerns. Students meet with their counselors throughout the semester to discuss their progress, plans, goals, achievements, and related concerns. Most students develop a strong relationship with their MAP counselor. MAP students also receive a peer-mentor in their first year of college. In addition student and professional tutors are available for MAP students having difficulties in any of their courses. The program also includes learning skills assistance to help with academic problems and the develop of study skills, advising for course selection and graduation pursuit is provided as a supplement to the student’s faculty advisor, and career advising is provided in examining career interests and abilities in terms of educational and employment alternatives. This is a supplement to Purchase College’s Career Development Center. In addition, MAP students are invited to attend periodic workshops, meetings and events take place throughout the academic year. Students enrolled in the MAP program have higher retention and graduation rates than students with a similar profile in the general population at Purchase College.

All candidates for admission are evaluated for scholarship at the time of review. We seek to award as many qualified candidates as our funds will allow. Last year Purchase College offered approximately $2.2 million in merit and talent scholarships to academically qualified new and returning students. Incoming freshmen are eligible for several different annual scholarships with awards ranging from $200 to full tuition. Institutional scholarships are made available directly from the College by the Purchase College Foundation. Institutional scholarships come from the generous contributions of donors to Purchase College. The donor community is comprised of individuals, families, foundations, and corporations.

Purchase College is committed to recruiting, enrolling, retaining and graduating a diverse student body. As a result the Office of Admissions makes more the 900 visits a year to high schools, community based organizations and community colleges. In developing a recruitment plan, the office of admissions makes sure a certain percentage of recruitment activities are dedicated to low income areas. The office has also a full time staff member: the Assistant Director for Special Recruitment Initiatives, who is responsible for creating and implementing targeted and strategic marketing and recruitment plans for specific populations within Manhattan, Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens. Priority groups within the boroughs include schools and CBOs working with high achieving underrepresented students, LGBTQ and visual and performing arts.

The implementation of a test optional policy yielded a more diverse applicant pool: 50% of students in the freshmen class identified as an ethnicity other than white. 27% are Hispanic. Purchase has always prioritized factors beyond test scores when considering students for admission. Our holistic review process emphasizes access, fit, and talent-driven assessment, which consistently results in higher academic achievement, persistence, and/or graduation rates. A test-optional policy aligns with our commitment to wider access, responds to growing concern over the stress of the college admissions process, and mitigates the advantages of pre-test coaching that some applicants may have over others. The policy helps to level the playing field for those students at an economic disadvantage and saves all students time and money. In addition, at all phases of the application process, Purchase College makes information about tuition and financial literacy easy to access. Purchase College hosts SUNY Financial Aid Days, sending information home about financial aid packages so that parents can access information about financial aid and tuition, and is present for individual appointments at all recruitment events.

The Children’s Center at Purchase College is an on-site child care facility that provides a discount to members of the Purchase College Community as well as a sliding-scale based on income.