This fall, SUNY Oneonta will be part of the expansion of a SUNY system-wide retention program to provide students with additional academic, financial and personal support to stay on track and graduate on time.
One hundred fifty students at SUNY Oneonta will be eligible this fall semester to receive financial resources and wrap around support to remove barriers to full-time study, help gain and maintain academic momentum and create a connected community among students. Any SUNY student who receives at least $1 of federal Pell or NYS grant aid (TAP or Excelsior) is likely to be eligible for ACE.
The SUNY Advancing Completion through Engagement (ACE) Program is part of a larger effort recently championed in the 2025-2026 Enacted New York State budget. A $12 million investment will sustain and expand the ASAP|ACE retention and completion programs to reach 6,000 students across New York state next year on the path to 10,000 students within two years.
“SUNY Oneonta is committed to connecting our students with all the means necessary to learn and graduate. Advising and counseling our students to meet their unique situations creates an inclusive environment that benefits all,” says SUNY Oneonta President Alberto Cardelle. “We are excited to offer SUNY ACE, an evidence-based retention program, as one more meaningful investment in our students’ success.”
“SUNY is committed to the success of every student, and ASAP|ACE is a proven, evidence-based strategy to improve retention and completion,” says SUNY Chancellor John B. King. “I am thrilled that through Governor Hochul’s leadership and the support of the legislature, SUNY is expanding this vital program to even more students and campuses across the SUNY system.”
SUNY ASAP/ACE will increase from 4,270 students at 25 SUNY campuses in Fall 2024 to 7,050 students at 34 SUNY campuses in Fall 2025. Advancing Success in Associate Pathways (ASAP) targets associate degree students and Advancing Completion through Engagement (ACE) targets baccalaureate students.
Preliminary outcomes data across current ASAP|ACE partner campuses demonstrate participating students have higher credit completion and persistence rates than similar non-ASAP|ACE students. ASAP students pursuing associate degrees have a 20 percent higher credit completion rate than non-ASAP students (73 percent versus 61 percent). ASAP students also have a higher spring-fall persistence rate: 80 percent for ASAP versus 72 percent for non-ASAP students. Additionally, ACE students pursuing bachelor’s degrees at a SUNY State operated campuses have a nine percent higher credit completion rate than similar non-ACE students (89 percent versus 82 percent). ACE students also have higher spring-fall persistence rates: 88 percent for ACE versus 85 percent for non-ACE students.
Learn more about the Advancing Completion through Engagement (ACE) Program
