Ten more colleges and universities – including Ivy League schools Brown and Yale – have been added to the ever growing roster of schools that will provide free tuition to an unlimited number of Buffalo public school student who qualify for Say Yes to Education tuition scholarships.
The new schools added to the growing Say Yes list include Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northeastern University, Smith College and Williams College, all in Massachusetts; Washington University in St. Louis, Mo.; Trinity College in Hartford, Conn.; Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio; and Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Penn.
The latest school additions bring the total number of participating colleges in the national Say Yes program to 64. With the addition of Yale and Brown universities, the Say Yes program now offers tuition scholarships to all eight Ivy League schools, including Columbia, the University of Pennsylvania, Dartmouth, Princeton, Cornell and Harvard as participating Say Yes schools.
The Say Yes program not only guarantees tuition coverage for eligible students, but also provides other student support services.
Say Yes site facilitators are now providing services to help keep students in school in 34 of 55 Buffalo public schools now. The district will have site facilitators in 41 schools by Feb. 1, said David Rust, executive director of Say Yes Buffalo.
In addition, Say Yes is now slated to provide after school programs in half of all schools by Jan. 6. The programs were originally to be in place during this fall semester.
Buffalo’s public and charter school students are eligible for tuition scholarships at 51 of the 64 schools because some schools partnered with Say Yes prior to the program’s establishment in Buffalo in late 2011 and do not yet have arrangements with Say Yes Buffalo.
The 51 private schools to which Buffalo’s Say Yes students can receive tuition scholarships is on top of the 74 colleges and universities in the SUNY and CUNY systems that also participate.
All of the colleges that have partnered with Say Yes so far this year have placed no limit on the number of Say Yes students they will accept, as long as the students gain admission on their own merits.
Buffalo students from families earning $75,000 or less would be eligible for fully covered tuition to a private college if they attended a Buffalo public or charter school since kindergarten.
There is no maximum income threshold for students who commit to attending one of the state colleges or universities, including the University at Buffalo, SUNY Buffalo State and community colleges.
The percentage of tuition scholarship coverage decreases if the student attended Buffalo schools for fewer years, with students who enroll as late as ninth grade receiving 65 percent of tuition coverage.
Students from families earning more than $75,000 would still be eligible to receive grants of $5,000 a year from Say Yes if they choose to attend one of the private schools affiliated with the program.
The Buffalo chapter of Say Yes to Education was founded in 2011. The Class of 2013 was the first class to be eligible for Say Yes scholarships.
These scholarships provide gap funding that covers the difference between a college’s tuition and whatever other financial aid grants or scholarships a student receives.
The scholarship money – more than $18.7 million so far – is raised primarily through donations by Western New York businesses, organizations, families and individuals. Fund raising is ongoing as the organization works toward its initial goal of $30 million.
For a full list of colleges and universities participating in the Say Yes Buffalo program, visit the School Zone blog at www.buffalonews.com/schoolzone
email: stan@buffnews.com
The new schools added to the growing Say Yes list include Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northeastern University, Smith College and Williams College, all in Massachusetts; Washington University in St. Louis, Mo.; Trinity College in Hartford, Conn.; Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio; and Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Penn.
The latest school additions bring the total number of participating colleges in the national Say Yes program to 64. With the addition of Yale and Brown universities, the Say Yes program now offers tuition scholarships to all eight Ivy League schools, including Columbia, the University of Pennsylvania, Dartmouth, Princeton, Cornell and Harvard as participating Say Yes schools.
The Say Yes program not only guarantees tuition coverage for eligible students, but also provides other student support services.
Say Yes site facilitators are now providing services to help keep students in school in 34 of 55 Buffalo public schools now. The district will have site facilitators in 41 schools by Feb. 1, said David Rust, executive director of Say Yes Buffalo.
In addition, Say Yes is now slated to provide after school programs in half of all schools by Jan. 6. The programs were originally to be in place during this fall semester.
Buffalo’s public and charter school students are eligible for tuition scholarships at 51 of the 64 schools because some schools partnered with Say Yes prior to the program’s establishment in Buffalo in late 2011 and do not yet have arrangements with Say Yes Buffalo.
The 51 private schools to which Buffalo’s Say Yes students can receive tuition scholarships is on top of the 74 colleges and universities in the SUNY and CUNY systems that also participate.
All of the colleges that have partnered with Say Yes so far this year have placed no limit on the number of Say Yes students they will accept, as long as the students gain admission on their own merits.
Buffalo students from families earning $75,000 or less would be eligible for fully covered tuition to a private college if they attended a Buffalo public or charter school since kindergarten.
There is no maximum income threshold for students who commit to attending one of the state colleges or universities, including the University at Buffalo, SUNY Buffalo State and community colleges.
The percentage of tuition scholarship coverage decreases if the student attended Buffalo schools for fewer years, with students who enroll as late as ninth grade receiving 65 percent of tuition coverage.
Students from families earning more than $75,000 would still be eligible to receive grants of $5,000 a year from Say Yes if they choose to attend one of the private schools affiliated with the program.
The Buffalo chapter of Say Yes to Education was founded in 2011. The Class of 2013 was the first class to be eligible for Say Yes scholarships.
These scholarships provide gap funding that covers the difference between a college’s tuition and whatever other financial aid grants or scholarships a student receives.
The scholarship money – more than $18.7 million so far – is raised primarily through donations by Western New York businesses, organizations, families and individuals. Fund raising is ongoing as the organization works toward its initial goal of $30 million.
For a full list of colleges and universities participating in the Say Yes Buffalo program, visit the School Zone blog at www.buffalonews.com/schoolzone
email: stan@buffnews.com