Governor’s support for SUNY ASAP|ACE programs will empower students with financial, academic and other support to boost graduation rates, close opportunity gaps

SUNY Oswego President Peter O. Nwosu applauded Gov. Kathy Hochul for pledging in her 2025 State of the State agenda to deliver ongoing state funding to sustain and expand the proven Advancing Success in Associate Pathways (ASAP) and Advancing Completion through Engagement (ACE) programs, transformative models that have been widely demonstrated to increase student completion rates and narrow opportunity gaps, including at SUNY Oswego.

“The concept behind ACE is straightforward, yet powerful,” President Nwosu said. “It provides students with comprehensive support services — including tutoring, career counseling, study skills development and financial assistance. In return, students commit to attending classes and other key meetings, ensuring a mutual investment in their success. … I am also proud to share that SUNY Oswego has embraced this program wholeheartedly.”

Oswego had the largest cohort of ACE students in the state – with 271 currently enrolled in its inaugural year.

ASAP (for students pursuing an associate degree) and ACE (for students in bachelor’s degree programs) expanded to the SUNY system in spring 2024 through the SUNY Transformation Fund. As of fall 2024, more than 4,200 students now participate in ASAP|ACE across 25 SUNY campuses.

Governor Hochul’s 2025 State of the State agenda will make it possible to sustain ASAP|ACE and expand it statewide to reach 10,000 SUNY students.

Since launching ACE on campus, SUNY Oswego students have felt immediate tangible benefits, with positive impacts on academic momentum, including higher credit-completion and retention rates and high levels of student engagement.

“SUNY is committed to success for every student, and ASAP|ACE programs are the nation’s leading, evidence-based model for helping students stay on track to graduation,” SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. said. “We are grateful to Governor Hochul for her commitment to ASAP|ACE in the 2025 State of the State agenda and look forward to working with the governor and our champions in the legislature to continue to scale this proven investment in student success.”

ASAP|ACE programs provide wraparound support to ensure student academic success, retention, and on-time graduation. An array of resources and supports — including academic assistance, personalized advisement, career development activities, and funding to cover textbooks, groceries, transportation, and other costs of attendance — help Pell-eligible students overcome barriers that can prevent them from achieving their goals and obtaining a degree.

Across SUNY, ASAP students’ credit completion rates for the spring 2024 semester were 20 percent higher than similar non-participants, and ACE students saw 9 percent higher credit completion rates compared to similar non-ACE students. ASAP|ACE-student retention rates from spring to fall 2024 also outpaced those of non-participants.

“I love it because it’s become like a second family to me,” said Joseph Miele, a freshman computer science major from the Bronx. “I would always be in the office and getting emails and conversations, not just help with your homework that you would expect from a school, it’s more of a deeper connection with someone who shows they care about you. … They’re very consistent in encouraging you and trying to help you.”

“ACE has introduced me to a lot of people who have been supporting me academically and making me more comfortable in the environment,” said Ashanti Acevedo, a freshman zoology major from the Bronx. “I feel like I’m not rushed into college because I have an ACE advisor and they’re very welcoming. ACE makes you feel like you are part of a family and a community that is invested in you.”

“It’s done so much for me,” said Alison Hallinan, a freshman childhood education major with a mathematics concentration from the hometown of Oswego. “I love it here. I think it's such a good community, I've met so many awesome professors and our program for ACE is amazing. .... It makes me feel good because I know that there are other students in this program getting the help they need to be successful in college.”

For more information on ASAP and ACE programs statewide, visit www.suny.edu/asap-ace.

SUNY Oswego is a 164-year-old institution in the State University of New York system. The university enrolls more than 7,000 students in more than 170 academic programs across its College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; School of Business; School of Communication, Media and the Arts; and School of Education. For more information, visit oswego.edu.