SUNY Sees Performance, Retention Boosts From Student Success Program Expansion

Last spring, State University of New York (SUNY) introduced a student success model at 25 campuses. One campus is already seeing positive results.

The Advancing Completion through Engagement (ACE) program is designed to help Pell-eligible students complete their bachelor’s degree in four years — similar to the Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) program, which is geared toward community college students.

According to SUNY, since ASAP|ACE began at City University of New York (CUNY) in 2007, the program has helped 100,000 CUNY students. SUNY’s replication of the program serves students across 25 SUNY partner colleges — 13 community colleges and 12 baccalaureate-granting colleges. SUNY expects to enroll 4,200 students across 25 campuses into ASAP|ACE this year.

The ASAP and ACE programs at CUNY have shown, through randomized controlled trials, to increase student retention and completion. At least one SUNY school is seeing similar positive results already.

This fall, ACE will support 150 SUNY Potsdam students with academic, financial, and personal resources. Potsdam is already seeing improvements in ACE students’ retention rates and academic performance.

“Compared to those students who were eligible but opted not to apply for ACE, our students attempted more credits, completed more credits, had higher term GPAs for the spring and higher overall GPAs at the close of their first year,” SUNY Potsdam ACE Director Sean Partridge told BestColleges.

“An overwhelming majority of ACE students returned for fall 2024, a significantly increased retention rate.”

The financial support students receive through ACE includes a Tuition Gap Scholarship of up to $550 a year, textbook funds of up to $300 a year, monthly participation incentives of up to $400 a year, and tuition waivers for summer and winter classes if students need them to maintain their degree progress. SUNY Fredonia gives $30 more for textbooks and $40 more for incentives.

At Potsdam, the participation incentives are based on participation in program workshops and advising sessions, and students can use them on needs such as transportation and groceries.

Partridge said the full package for a Potsdam student who meets all of their ACE obligations can be up to $1,250 a year.

Academic support includes being assigned an ACE advisor and meeting with them at least once a month to supplement departmental advising, receiving an eight-semester degree plan specific to their major(s)/minor(s), getting priority class registration, and attending seminars and workshops through the program.

ACE students can also attend monthly workshops on core competencies and career development, and a one-credit seminar in their first year on the transition to college academic and social life.

“Our ACE students are building a community of fellow learners, and we hope to create a peer mentoring program as the program grows,” said Partridge.

Students are eligible for ACE if they are eligible for in-state tuition; are enrolled full time; are U.S. citizens or eligible non-citizens (such as NYS DREAM Act students); complete the FAFSA and Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) application annually; and receive the Pell Grant.

Uniquely for fall 2024, students didn’t have to have received the Pell Grant, but needed to receive “at least $1” of state or federal aid.

At Potsdam, ACE students from spring 2024 completed their first year with an average of over 30 credits completed. Additionally, 94% ended the spring term in good academic standing, and 57% were named on the Dean’s and/or President’s List for high grades, according to the school.

“We are incredibly optimistic that these students will graduate on time,” Partridge said. “Students’ four-year plans are monitored monthly to ensure timely progression through their requirements.”

“We’ve been told all along that CUNY’s experience with ASAP|ACE was incredibly positive, but we were still shocked at how positive our first-semester outcomes were. It’s a model that works,” Partridge said.

Preliminary data from Potsdam shows that compared to students who were eligible for ACE but opted not to participate, ACE students at Potsdam earned an average spring 2024 GPA of 3.32 and non-ACE but eligible students earned a spring 2024 GPA of 2.86. ACE students at Potsdam had a 3.41 average overall GPA, compared to non-ACE but eligible students who earned a 3.03 overall average GPA.

“SUNY Potsdam is proud to be at the forefront of student engagement and support — helping every student overcome hurdles small and large, from day one,” SUNY Potsdam President Suzanne R. Smith said in a press release.

“Our ACE program is already showing promise in helping students start strong and finish strong, so they can reach their personal and professional goals, with less debt along the way,” said Smith.

The ACE program is currently supporting 150 students at Potsdam — the initial cohort of 65 students joined in spring 2024 and another 90 students have joined the program this fall. This year, 77 first-year students, 55 sophomores, 16 juniors, and 2 seniors according to credits earned are involved in ACE at Potsdam.

By the end of August, 60 of the 65 the spring 2024 ACE students had registered for fall 2024 and intended to return — a preliminary retention rate of 92.3%, according to Potsdam. The 11-year average retention rate for Pell recipients at Potsdam is 72.8%, and SUNY is targeting a 90% retention rate for ACE students, according to Potsdam.

A maximum of 600 Potsdam students could be supported by ACE by fall 2027, according to the university.

“Student success drives everything we do at SUNY, and we are committed to meeting students and their families where they are to ensure they thrive,” said SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr in a press release about the expansion.

“SUNY takes pride in scaling ASAP and ACE as proven models for student success across our campuses and we look forward to continuing to invest in the next generation of SUNY graduates at Potsdam and across the system,” King said.

To join ACE, students must complete the FAFSA or TAP application and an enrollment application form for the program.

“I think the thing that sets ACE apart at SUNY Potsdam is the 1-1 advising support, combined with the four-year degree planning,” Partridge said. “So many students enter college without a sense of the big picture and how things fit together. They don’t appreciate the ripple effects of a low grade or dropping a class until it’s too late.”

Partridge highlighted the tailored degree plans as unique to ACE, and said they get students invested in their plans. He also said he likes the financial incentive model in keeping students engaged, saying it motivates students.

“Our experience with ACE has been extremely positive,” said Partridge. “I’ve worked with both state and federal support programs throughout my career, and the level of support during the replication and implementation phase of the process was incredible.”

New York Governor Kathy Hochul included funds for the SUNY Transformation Fund in the 2023-24 enacted state budget, which financially supports the 25 SUNY campuses that offer the ASAP and ACE programs.