SUNY Oneonta received funding in the 2026-27 Enacted New York State Budget to expand its Advancing Completion through Engagement (ACE) initiative, a successful program designed to help students gain and maintain academic momentum so they can graduate on time. Introduced to the Oneonta campus last year with a cohort of 150 students, the program will welcome up to 150 additional qualified first-year and transfer students this fall.
“We are providing comprehensive academic support to help students complete their academic journey to a bachelor’s degree within two years for transfer students or four years for first-year students,” said Anna Legname, ACE Program Director at SUNY Oneonta. “This support includes dedicated ACE advisors to guide students’ progress from entry to graduation, enhanced career and academic support services, workshops and activities, priority course registration and financial assistance for tuition, textbooks and transportation expenses.”
“The ACE program has been instrumental to my success at SUNY Oneonta,” said Deli Smith, a Media Studies major from Boiceville, NY. “As a transfer student from a community college, I am faced with unique challenges. ACE has provided me with resources to overcome and navigate the complexities of such an involved campus. Being introduced to peers and shown campus resources allowed me to have a much easier transfer transition, and enabled me to excel, both in terms of my academic and social life. With this support, I have been able to maintain a 4.0 GPA, hold a role on a club’s executive board, and maintain a job on campus. Without the resources from the ACE Program, my success in a college environment would have been much more difficult to achieve.”
To participate, students must commit to graduating within four years (first-year students) or two years (transfer students); attend monthly ACE advisor meetings and other special activities; maintain a full-time, 15 credit-hour status; complete the FAFSA and TAP applications yearly and receive at least $1 of federal Pell or NYS grant aid (TAP or Excelsior.)
“My experience with ACE has been really positive since I've arrived at SUNY Oneonta!” said Ethan Hecker, a Music Industry major from Schenectady. “I actually transferred from another university, and I was very unsure of what to expect coming into Oneonta, but ACE helped to welcome me into the university with open arms. I am incredibly grateful for my advisor's kindness, dedication and help in involving me in many different campus events and helping me feel like I belong. I never thought I'd feel as welcomed as I did, nor be as involved on campus as I am now!”
On June 16, the State University of New York Board of Trustees and Chancellor John B. King Jr. announced the expansion of SUNY's Advancing Success in Associate Pathways (ASAP) and Advancing Completion through Engagement (ACE) — the nation's leading college retention and completion models — to serve 10,000 students at 44 SUNY campuses by the fall 2026 semester. The expansion of ASAP (for students pursuing an associate’s degree) and ACE (for students pursuing a bachelor's degree) was made possible through an additional $8 million in allocated funding in the FY2026-27 Enacted State Budget, bringing the total state investment in this successful program to $20 million annually.
While SUNY's current completion rates exceed the national averages for public institutions awarding o- time bachelor's and associate’s degrees, SUNY seeks to help all students who start their degrees have the support they need to finish. Chancellor King's 2026 State of the University Agenda includes additional initiatives to continue strengthening academic momentum so more students make it to, and through, the SUNY campus of their choice.
