Student Success

Students who face unexpected financial hardship can apply for financial assistance can receive assistance with paying their semester bill. This award provides one-time assistance and cannot provide long-term assistance with costs associated with tuition and room and board.

Awards of up to $3,000 are available for undergraduate and graduate students in good standing who have attended at least one semester at Purchase College. Awards exceeding $3,000 may be given in certain circumstances with the express written approval of the dean. Applications for awards are reviewed, and approved or denied by a campus committee which includes representatives from Student Affairs, Enrollment, Academics, and Financial Services and will be applied to the student’s account.

Please note: because of the number of requests and limited funding, the committee will only consider applicants who have taken all of the federal loans that that been offered to them as part of their financial aid package.

To qualify, students must:

• Be an enrolled, matriculated student with a minimum GPA of a 2.0 for an undergraduate student and a 3.0 for a graduate student;
• Have attended Purchase College for at least one semester;
• Have a good record of conduct; and
• Have filed a FAFSA for the current academic year.

The ED requires campuses to prioritize emergency grants to students with exceptional need, such as students who receive Pell Grants.

• SUNY requires campuses to prioritize Pell eligible recipients starting with students at the lowest Expected Family Contributions (EFCs).
• SUNY has created a template which campuses must use to calculate the HEERF II Student Aid emergency grants. This methodology was developed to provide emergency grants to students with exceptional need. Based on this awarding methodology, students will receive a Base Grant that correlates with their full-time (FT) or part-time (PT) status plus a standard supplemental amount based on the student’s primary EFC.
• Campuses must stay within the following ranges which were developed based on spring 2020 data submitted to SUNY IR.
  • Base Grant of $500 to $1,000 for State-operated campuses.

• At the time of the HEERF II Student Aid Funds notification and disbursement, the student must have been matriculated and registered in coursework for the award term of the HEERF II funds. HEERF II funds are not bound to Title IV requirements, the rules for Title IV eligibility do not apply. Purchase College will use EFCs to determine the students who are eligible to receive the range of awards. Students must satisfy all Title IV financial aid eligibility criteria that are required to generate an EFC from a valid FAFSA (i.e. non-rejected FAFSA). Undocumented, DACA, and international students will not be awarded HEERF II Student Aid funds.
• Also, at the time of the HEERF II Student Aid Funds notification and disbursement, student must have an EFC below the Pell threshold (EFC < 5,711 for 2020-21) as determined by a FAFSA on file for the award term of the HEERF II funds. For FAFSAs selected for verification, the Pell-eligible EFC must be verified prior to notification and disbursement.
• Students participating in study-away or study-abroad, and who are otherwise eligible (i.e. satisfy all other eligibility criteria), are eligible as long as the college remains the home campus and is responsible for awarding any Title IV financial aid for the award term of the HEERF
• Students matriculated in online academic programs are also eligible if they satisfy all eligibility criteria.
• Purchase College will not award 3% of the HEERF II Student Aid funds for emergency grants.

• Students are notified of their HEERF II Student Aid award via their college email account (see Student Communications). By default, the entire grant amount is refunded to a student via their TouchNet refund preference irrespective of any outstanding account balance with the college. Students without a TouchNet profile will have a paper check produced and mailed to their permanent home address.
• Option for “opt-in” and selection the dollar amount: Purchase College elected not to offer this option because of the predicted lack of student participation in this option, the delays caused by offering this option, the administrative burden of offering it, and eligibility conflicts that may arise due to the delay between notification and disbursement.

The college’s current CARES Act web page will be updated with the details, eligibility and guidelines for the HEERF II Student Emergency Grant. The college community will receive an email with the same information. Lastly, eligible students will be notified via official college email.

• Defray expenses associated with coronavirus (including lost revenue, reimbursement for expenses already incurred, technology costs associated with a transition to distance education, faculty and staff trainings, and payroll);
• Carry out student support activities authorized by the HEA that address needs related to coronavirus; or
• Provide financial aid grants to students (including students exclusively enrolled in distance education), which may be used for any component of the student’s cost of attendance or for emergency costs that arise due to coronavirus, such as tuition, food, housing, health care (including mental health care), or childcare. In making financial aid grants to students, the Campus must prioritize grants to students with exceptional need, such as students who receive Pell Grants.
• More information can be found here on the U.S. Department of Education website.
• HEERF I and HEERF II Comparison Fact Sheet (PDF, January 14, 2021)

View eligible student information.

View the required web-based report for HEERF student aid.