POTSDAM — SUNY Potsdam has been ranked among the top public higher education institutions in the country for its financial aid offers for incoming first-year students.

The Student Loan Report recently ranked SUNY Potsdam No. 43 in the nation in its list of the top 250 public colleges that offer freshmen the most financial aid—which was the highest rating for any institution within the State University of New York.

“SUNY Potsdam prides itself on offering students and families assistance and support throughout the financial aid process. Now, with the new Excelsior Scholarship Program promising to make a SUNY Potsdam degree even more affordable for many students, we hope to continue to provide a high level of support to help students achieve their educational goals,” said Executive Vice President Rick Miller.

The list is based on the average financial aid package awarded to need-based, degree-seeking, full-time incoming freshmen. The ranking is based on the 2015 Peterson’s Financial Aid Data Set.

In 2015, SUNY Potsdam provided an average financial aid package of $16,018 to incoming first-year students. Financial aid can include scholarships, grants, loans, conversion scholarships/loans, veteran and military benefits, student employment opportunities and waivers.

In 2015-16, SUNY Potsdam awarded $3.1 million worth of scholarships to 1,512 students. Of that total, almost half was supported by philanthropic giving, through scholarships provided and/or endowed by the Potsdam College Foundation Inc., a non-profit corporation that stewards private giving in support of SUNY Potsdam.

Strong philanthropic support for the SUNY Potsdam scholarship fund will continue to be important to bolster the College’s ability to assist as many students as possible with college costs. New York’s new Excelsior Scholarship Program, which covers tuition costs for eligible students, doesn’t cover room, board, books or other expenses that also drive student debt.

Scholarship support was one of the main priorities of SUNY Potsdam’s recently completed comprehensive campaign, Take the Lead: The Campaign for Potsdam, which concluded in 2016 to coincide with the College’s bicentennial. The Take the Lead Campaign raised $8.4 million in gifts and pledges to support student scholarships, out of the $33.5 million that the campaign raised in total.