| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 68.49 |
| Liaison | Lisa Kilgore |
| Submission Date | April 28, 2017 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Cornell University
PA-7: Affordability and Access
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.63 / 4.00 |
A.T.
Miller Associate Vice Provost for Academic Diversity Office of Academic Diversity Initiatives |
Does the institution have policies and programs to make it accessible and affordable to low-income students?:
A brief description of any policies and programs to minimize the cost of attendance for low-income students:
The University provides what is known as need-based aid. This means that a calculation based on the information from FASFA and the CSS Profile is used to create a financial aid award for students. The University also has developed two initiatives as it pertains to financial aid. The first is for parent contribution, and the second student loan. These are tiered programs to assist in making the Cornell more accessible.
The parent contribution initiative states that families with income below $60,000 and total assets less than $100,000, that student can receive a package without a parent contribution.
The loan initiative states a family with income below $60,000 will have a student aid package without a loan. If the income is slightly higher, between $60,000 and $75,000, the loans will be capped at $2,500. If the family income is between $75,000 and $120,000, the loan is capped at $5,000 in the package. And if the family income is above $120,000, the loan is capped at $7,500 in the package. All of these options make Cornell a very affordable institution for our neediest students.
http://finaid.cornell.edu/cost-attend/financial-aid-initiatives
A brief description of any programs to equip the institution’s faculty and staff to better serve students from low-income backgrounds:
The University has several offerings designed to support faculty and staff to better serve students from low-income backgrounds. Through the Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE), many resources are available online for faculty as they plan and design courses, syllabi, and teaching strategies. Staff from the office are available for consultation on issues and serve as resources. Additionally, CTE sponsors the Faculty Institute on Diversity, a three day institute that brings faculty together to discuss issues related to diversity and how to incorporate and infuse them into all aspects of their teaching.
Through the McNair program, workshops have been offered for faculty mentors on working with the diverse backgrounds of the scholars and how to support them on their path to PhDs.
The Office of Academic Diversity Initiatives and the Office of Institutional Research and Planning regularly provide data to colleges and departments about the progress, retention, and achievement of students who are Pell-Grant eligible and those on financial aid in comparison with all other students.
Training and resources for staff are also provided through the Department of Inclusion and Workforce Diversity.
http://www.cte.cornell.edu/index.html
https://www.hr.cornell.edu/diversity/
https://oadi.cornell.edu/programs/student-success-programs/mcnair.html
A brief description of the institution’s programs to guide and prepare students and families from low-income backgrounds for higher education:
One program that works with low-income students to prepare for college is the Pre-Freshman Summer program. While not every student enrolled in the program is from a low-income background, the majority of the students are. This program is designed to be a bridge program for students to aid in the preparation and transition and from high school to college. This is a requirement for students enrolled in Cornell through the Arthur O. Eve Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) and Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) for low-income NYS residents. These two programs are administered in conjunction with the seven undergraduate colleges and schools through the Office of Academic Diversity Initiatives. NYS residents from low-income backgrounds who are considered academically underprepared are selected for the program and through financial and academic support are given admission to Cornell. The Prefreshmen Summer Program helps to prepare them for the academic year.
Cornell has several scholarship programs for high school students from low-income backgrounds to attend our residential Summer College, and we also partner with the Telluride Foundation on campus to bring a similar cohort of students to that summer program. Additionally, the Office of Academic Diversity Initiatives has secured funding to provide 10 high school schools from Harlem, NY, and 10 high school students that participate in 4H the opportunity to attend Summer College. In addition to the regular Summer College Offerings, these students are paired with a staff member in OADI to support and advise them throughout the summer.
Additionally, Cornell takes part in a local initiative called Access to College Education (ACE). ACE is a collaborative partnership between 12 area school discticts and four local colleges/universities. Over the course of the year, students and families are introduced to various avenues available to them for higher education. Each of the institutions hosts students for a half day workshop to include information on financial aid, admissions, the college selection process, and specific details about the college. These workshops are lead by staff from the universities and student panelists.
We have conducted financial aid application workshops in NYC the last 7 years.
http://www.finaid.cornell.edu/types-aid
http://www2.cortland.edu/community/outreach/ace/
https://oadi.cornell.edu/programs/student-opportunity-programs/arthur-o-eve.html
A brief description of the institution's scholarships for low-income students:
http://www.finaid.cornell.edu/types-aid
Cornell has made the commitment to students who demonstrate financial need by meeting that need with one or more financial aid components. Each aid application is carefully reviewed and a specific aid package is designed to meet each students' particular need.
Building on a long history of providing opportunity and access to students regardless of economic circumstances, Cornell also has several financial aid initiatives to help ease the financial burden for undergraduate students and their parents. Cornell has added undocumented students with DACA (Deferred Action) status to the pool of students eligible for full need funding in financial aid.
A brief description of the institution’s targeted outreach to recruit students from low-income backgrounds:
Through the NYS Opportunity Programs (EOP/HEOP), the Director, Assistant Director, and Senior Advisor travel across NYS recruiting through college fairs as well as high school and community based organization visits. They discuss these programs with prospective high school students. The office works collaboratively with the Undergraduate Admissions Office to coordinate trips, materials, and outreach across the state as well as participate in any on-campus bus trips from agencies and high schools. Efforts have also been made to work with Cornell University Cooperative Extension through 4H to reach more students across the state in a virtual environment.
The American Indian and Indigenous Studies Program (AIISP) also hosts a yearly recruitment and engagement weekend for native students. "Promising Futures" is a weekend workshop for students that exposes them to information about Cornell as well as admissions, financial aid, and opportunity programs. Staff from each of these offices meets with students over the weekend to talk about the opportunities that exist at Cornell.
https://oadi.cornell.edu/programs/student-opportunity-programs/arthur-o-eve.html
https://aiisp.cornell.edu/
A brief description of the institution’s other policies or programs to make the institution accessible and affordable to low-income students:
The Pre Professional Programs (P3) is a programming and support initiative housed in the Office of Academic Diversity Initiatives for the purpose of recruiting, preparing and graduating underrepresented, economically disadvantaged, or first-generation students to the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) and Professional fields.
Additionally, OADI provides Community Development and Social Justice Programming through which students from non-traditional backgrounds are engaged and supported. A particular focus is on first-generation college students through the "First In Class" as well as non-traditional students through the "Trailblazers" programs. Each of these programs offer regular workshops and meetings to provide support to students and assist them in navigating through higher education.
OADI also provides funding support for students involved in the programs to be able to obtain experiences through research, internships, and other professional development ventures.
https://www.oadi.cornell.edu/programs/student-success-programs/cdsjp.html
https://oadi.cornell.edu/programs/student-success-programs/pre-professional-programs.html/
https://oadi.cornell.edu/funding%20and%20student%20employment/student-organization-dept-funding.html
Does the institution have policies and programs to support non-traditional students?:
A brief description of the institution’s scholarships provided specifically for part-time students:
Cornell does not have scholarships for part-time students, except through its employee tuition program and its summer college pipeline scholarships.
A brief description of the institution’s on-site child care facility, partnership with a local facility, and/or subsidies or financial support to help meet the child care needs of students:
There is an on-site child care center managed by Bright Horizons Family Solutions. This venue provides child care support for children from 6 weeks to 5 years. The service is open to all Cornell faculty, staff, and students and there is a fee for the service. Cornell students with dependents can apply for a grant to in the cost of child care. Additionally, there is a Dependent Care Consultant available for students to explore child care options.
http://studentswithfamilies.cornell.edu/
http://child-care-preschool.brighthorizons.com/NY/Ithaca/Cornell/
A brief description of the institution’s other policies and programs to support non-traditional students:
Through the Office of Academic Diversity Initiatives (OADI), the Community Develop and Social Justice Programming encompasses non-traditional students. Programming and support is given for students who are adult learners, students with dependents, veterans, and first generation students.
Does the institution wish to pursue Part 2 of this credit (tracking accessibility and affordability)? (If data is not available, select 'No'):
The percentage of entering students that are low-income (0-100):
The graduation/success rate for low-income students (0-100):
On average, the percentage of need that was met for students who were awarded any need-based aid (e.g. as reported to the U.S. Common Data Set initiative, item H2) (0-100):
The percentage of students graduating with no interest-bearing student loan debt or for whom no out-of-pocket tuition is required (i.e. the percentage of graduates who have not taken out interest-bearing loans) (0-100):
Estimated percentage of students that participate in or directly benefit from the institution’s policies and programs to support low-income and non-traditional students (0-100):
The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.