x

Award Processing

To help you understand what to expect, the following timeline outlines how Say Yes Syracuse calculates and processes awards for SUNY/CUNY and private schools.

You MUST complete a FAFSA and TAP application to be eligible for a Say Yes tuition scholarship.

  1. Twice a year (once each semester) schools will submit to Say Yes student financial aid package calculations on the school student roster, mid-August for the fall semester and mid-January for the spring semester.
  2. The school will apply the financial aid to your student account and Say Yes will be invoiced for the remaining tuition balance owed. That amount is the amount of the tuition scholarship &/or grant to be provided to the school for you.
  3. Student fees, miscellaneous fees, or charges related to selected major/program of study, room & board, and books are not expenses that Say Yes scholarships cover.
  4. If student federal, state and/or institutional financial aid covers the cost of tuition, no Say Yes tuition scholarship will be awarded.
  5. If you do not maintain eligibility requirements, you will not receive the tuition scholarship & grant. Continued Say Yes eligibility is determined by the previous semester. This does not apply to the first semester for incoming Freshmen. Spring semester eligibility is based on fall and moving forward, fall eligibility is based on the previous Spring.
  6. Students that lose their eligibility can appeal. Eligibility appeals are submitted on the Say Yes website.
  7. You will receive notification from your school regarding your complete and updated financial aid package, including the award of any scholarships or grants, including Say Yes. You do not receive notification from the Say Yes office.  All financial aid information, including the Say Yes award, comes from the school.
  8. Say Yes scholarship payment disbursements to the colleges commence after the add/drop period each semester which varies for each school, and our partner schools are aware of the Say Yes payment disbursement timeline. This means school/classes will begin before awards are disbursed.
  9. Say Yes will continue payment disbursements to the colleges starting in September and will continue throughout the semester until December of the fall semester and start in February ending in May/June of the spring semester. You can view your (financial) student accounts via your school student portal. Most schools notify students via school email or simply by posting to the student account.
  10. You must adhere to all Say Yes Syracuse deadlines (found on the Say Yes Syracuse webpage), as well as school-determined deadlines to remain eligible for Say Yes funding.

 Say Yes Syracuse Private College Partner students

The tuition guarantee is a last-dollar scholarship. That means tuition will be covered through a combination of Federal, State, and institutional aid.

  • To that end, you MUST complete a FAFSA application and a New York State TAP application.
    • If you are eligible for a federal Pell grant and an NYS TAP grant, those grants will get applied towards tuition and institutional aid will make up the balance.

Tuition at all private partner colleges gets guaranteed by the college or university. This means the tuition scholarship is provided by the College or University NOT the Say Yes Syracuse endowment. 

  • Our agreement with all our private partner colleges is that the college will guarantee tuition for Say Yes students.
  • All Say Yes Syracuse private partner colleges (except Syracuse University, which has no income limit)

All private Partner colleges signed on to the agreement have indicated they will only guarantee tuition if the student’s family income is $75,000 or below.

  • The $75,000 is based on what the college reports.  Most colleges report AGI however some colleges that also utilize the CSS profile utilize gross and in some cases net.  It depends on the private college and how they are assessing family income.  
  • Some private partnership nuances may apply regarding family income and scholarship
    • Students/parents are to review the Say Yes Syracuse College Partner list and contact individual schools as directed for further information. There are some income or scholarship nuances.
    • Fees, room, and board are not included. Students and families should not expect to see a $0 balance for the cost to attend.

If family income is above $75K there is a $5,000 Choice Grant that comes from our local Say Yes to Education endowment fund housed at the Central New York Community Foundation.

 

 

Contact Us

Are you inspired by the goals and approach of Say Yes or have questions about scholarships? We invite you to subscribe to our mailing list, set an appointment, or reach out to and learn more about how you can get involved.

Ahmeed Turner, Executive Director

Dana Lyons-Canty, Officer, Scholarship and Student Support