New York Remains Nationwide Leader in Student Financial Aid

• by New York State Higher Education Services Corporation

ALBANY, NY (07/28/2009)(readMedia)-- New York continues its leadership as the most generous when it comes to giving money to college students.

New York's commitment to college students continues to be unsurpassed - providing the most need-based grant dollars per undergraduate student for the 2007-2008 academic year, and over the past ten years, according to a national survey by the National Association of State Grant and Aid Programs (NASSGAP).

"New York understands that it takes an educated workforce to grow the state's economy, and remains unparalleled in providing need-based aid, offering more student aid dollars than any other state in the nation," 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.

"The Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) allows more New York college students access to higher education and remains the standard-bearer for other states to follow," Magee added.

According to the survey, New York ranks first in:

• Total student aid dollars (grants and scholarships) awarded - ($924 million)
• Total student grant dollars awarded ($827 million)
• Total number of need-based student grants awarded (309,300) and,
• Average state need-based undergraduate aid awarded per full time equivalent student - $975, more than twice the national average.

The entire NASSGAP survey is available at www.nassgap.org.

About HESC: The New York State Higher Education Services Corporation is the State's student financial aid agency, providing more grant and scholarship awards to students than any other state in the nation. HESC helped nearly 650,000 students achieve their dream of attending college by providing $4.5 billion in grants, scholarships and loan guarantees in 2007-08, including $795 million awarded through the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) to more than 370,000 students. HESC also provides training and technical services to college financial aid administrators, high school counselors and lenders participating in the Federal Family Education Loan Program.

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