Frequently Asked Questions
Students who qualify for the SYTE college scholarship program receive a guarantee that the cost of tuition at a eligible college will be paid for by grants and scholarships from that college or the Syracuse Say Yes to Education program will award a grant to make up the difference.
To be eligible for the Syracuse Say Yes to Education financial aid guarantee, a student must meet the following qualifications:
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Be a resident of the City of Syracuse.
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Have continuous enrollment in a SCSD High School for three years, 10th, 11th, and 12th grades.
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Graduate from one of the SCSD high schools in or after June 2009.
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Enroll as a full time student in an eligible college or university.
All students who meet the eligibility criteria stated above automatically qualify. If a student has questions regarding their eligibility, they should speak to the post secondary counselor at their high school.
Though there is no formal registration process, students should register their e-mail addresses with Say Yes by:
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Sending an e-mail to college@sayyessyracuse.org with the subject line "E-mail address".
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Include your first and last name, your date of birth, what grade you are in, and what high school you are attending in the body of the e-mail.
This will ensure that you receive regular information regarding the program.
Students who in enroll in most of the colleges in the State University of New York (SUNY) and City University of New York (CUNY) are eligible to receive the Say Yes financial aid guarantee. In addition over 20 private colleges and Universities participate in the program. To review a complete list of schools click here Say Yes Colleges.
Students may enroll in most of the campuses of the State University of NY (SUNY) or the City University of New York (CUNY) system and be guaranteed that their tuition will be paid for by scholarships and/or grants regardless of family income. The majority of the private colleges limit the full tuition guarantee to admitted students with family incomes less than $75,000 per year. However, Syracuse University and Cooper Union do not have income restrictions.
The Say Yes program monitors the progress of all students enrolled in the Syracuse City School District. When a student reaches the 12th grade and is on track for graduating, they will be notified that fall by Say Yes and asked to provide additional information.
Students will need to apply for financial aid each year and complete the financial aid process at their college. Students must also maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress. For Say Yes this is defined as successfully completing a minimum of 12 credit hours for each semester (fall and spring) and maintaining a GPA of 2.0 or better.
A student’s academic record will be reviewed at the end of each academic year. If a student completes less than 12 credit hours in the fall or does not have a 2.0 GPA, then they can make up for it by taking additional credits in the spring and/or bringing their grade point average up.
If at the end of the spring semester the student has not completed the required 24 credit hours and does not have a 2.0 or better then the student will not be eligible for funding for the following year.
Students that do not meet the standards of academic progress at the end of an academic year can enroll over the summer to make up their deficiencies. Remember that no Say Yes funding is available to students over the summer.
Say Yes funding is available for 4 semesters at a community college or 8 semesters at a 4 year college. While students will need to maintain at least 12 credit hours a semester for fall and spring, most students will need to complete at least 15 credit hours a semester to complete their degrees during the time requirement of Say Yes.
It is important that students remain on track to complete their degrees in a timely manner. Students will continue to receive a Say Yes award as long as they maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (see answer to the above question).
Eligible students who decide not to go to college right after graduation will remain eligible for Say Yes benefits for one academic year after their high school graduation. Therefore, if you graduated in June 2009, you are still eligible if you enroll in a Say Yes college in September 2010.
All Say Yes students need to follow the same transfer process as all other college students. For most colleges you will find the transfer admissions procedures on the schools web site. If you have questions regarding the process you should call or visit the college’s admissions office.
Say Yes students also need to follow the regular financial aid process and meet all the financial aid deadlines.
Once you have decided on the college you will be transferring to, you need to complete a Say Yes Student Certification Form (click to view and print). Once this form is submitted to the Say Yes Office (111 Waverly Ave. Suite 230, Syracuse NY 13244), we will contact the college and determine your Say Yes eligibility.
Contact Us
Interested in getting in touch with someone from Say Yes to Educations Syracuse? Do you have more questions? You can reach us at:
Say Yes to Education
111 Waverly Ave., Ste 230
Syracuse, NY 13244
Phone: 315-443-4260
For information about the Say Yes Scholarship or partner colleges email: college@sayyessyracuse.org
For general information email: info@sayyessyracuse.org