SUNY program supporting transfer students finds success at UB

Continuing her academic journey at UB could have been much more difficult for Iyahna Garcia after graduating from community college in 2024, but she has the UB TrACE program to thank.

The state-funded program provides eligible transfer students with support services that include personalized advising and career development, as well as financial assistance for textbooks and personal expenses.

“Through TrACE’s monthly aid and textbook stipends, my immense worry about day-to-day costs has been relieved,” Garcia says, “and I have been able to focus on my education, not the stressors of affording my day-to-day essentials.”

Garcia was among the students who shared their success in the program during a joint press conference on Oct. 15 at SUNY Buffalo State University, where SUNY announced expansion of the program aimed at graduating students on time while removing financial, academic and personal barriers.

The SUNY initiative, referred to as Advancing Completion through Engagement (ACE), was expanded to 44 campuses this fall, up from 34 last year.

The program now serves some 10,000 students systemwide thanks to an additional $8 million included in this year’s state budget by Gov. Kathy Hochul and the State Legislature. State investment in the program this year now totals $20 million.

SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. has called the program a “proven, evidence-based strategy to improve retention and completion.”

The program was launched in 2024 at UB, where it is known as TrACE – Advancing Completion through Engagement for Transfer Students. To qualify, transfers to UB with an associate degree must meet the financial qualifications outlined under the federal Pell grant program.

Students in UB TrACE receive $150 a semester toward textbooks, $275 a semester as a non-tuition stipend and a pre-paid debit card of $50 a month during the academic year to be used toward college expenses. In total, students meeting program requirements receive $2,500 over the course of two years.

Students in the program also meet at least once a month with a TrACE advisor. Once a semester, the students are required to meet with their academic advisor and the Career Design Center, which helps connect them with potential employers and internship opportunities. They also are required to attend three UB-sponsored events.

“Perhaps even more pivotal than the financial support provided by this program is the wonderful guidance TrACE offers,” says Garcia, a psychology major from Long Island.

“I have always had a vision of what I wanted my future to look like, yet figuring out how to get there, what degrees were necessary and what connections were needed was difficult,” Garcia says. “My TrACE advisors have helped me streamline this college process and ease the burden that college students are often overwrought with during their senior year.”

Garcia is among 150 students currently in the UB TrACE program, which continues to make a tangible difference, says Ann Bisantz, vice provost and dean of Undergraduate Education.

More than 70% of TrACE students had a GPA of 3.0 or higher at the end of the spring semester, Bisantz said, adding that 40% earned a GPA of 3.5 or higher, while seven students had a perfect 4.0 GPA.

“We are especially proud of the progress we are seeing toward degree completion,” Bisantz says.

Fifty-eight TrACE students graduated this past year – four of them with a 4.0 GPA. A total of 90 TrACE students have graduated from UB since the program was launched, Bisantz said.

“Those numbers represent much more than academic milestones,” she says. “They represent individual students achieving goals, creating new opportunities for themselves and their families, and preparing for what comes next.”

Bisantz and Garcia thanked state and SUNY leaders for their commitment to the program.

Garcia is now a senior in her last semester.

She credits the support from TrACE for her decision to continue at SUNY to earn her master’s degree.