tag: Emergency aid
Blog Post
October 6, 2026
Evaluating the Petrie Foundation’s Student Emergency Grant Fund at CUNY
There are growing concerns about the affordability of earning a college degree, yet most discussions focus on tuition and fees. While sticker prices, or published tuition and fees, have increased significantly over the past two decades, the amount students actually pay, known as net price, is lower today than it was 20 years ago. For many students, however, especially adult learners and those from low- and moderate-income backgrounds, college affordability is about more than just tuition and fees.
Research Report
October 6, 2026
Addressing College Affordability through Emergency Aid
A Study of the Petrie Foundation’s Student Emergency Grant Fund at CUNY
The Carroll and Milton Petrie Foundation’s (Petrie Foundation) Student Emergency Grant Fund provides participating New York City colleges and universities with money to disburse grants to students experiencing financial hardship to help cover non-tuition expenses. Among the participating institutions are 20 City University of New York (CUNY) campuses, each of which operates and administers the program locally.
Blog Post
March 27, 2026
Evaluating the Student Emergency Grant Fund at CUNY
Announcing a New Project
In 2022, Ithaka S+R conducted a study on Georgia State University’s Panther Retention Grant program, a type of microgrant or emergency aid initiative designed to support students with immediate financial need. Through our evaluation, we found that receiving a grant reduced time to degree across student types, including for Pell recipients and students from underrepresented racial and ethnic minority groups. We also found that it reduced cumulative debt for most student groups, likely because recipients enrolled in…
Past Event
May 15, 2024
Bipartisan Policy Center Higher Education Virtual Roundtable on Emergency Aid Programs and SEOG
The Bipartisan Policy Center has recommended allowing colleges and universities to repurpose a portion of SEOG funds to provide micro-grants to students who have experienced a financial shock. BPC has begun a new project focused on advancing its recommendation and building bipartisan support for providing institutions with flexibility to use SEOG funds for emergency aid. In this initial roundtable, BPC is bringing together experts and stakeholders, including Ithaka S+R’s Danny Rossman, to share perspectives on emergency aid programs, the effectiveness…