David Woods is the new Director of Financial Aid at Bronx Community College. He holds a master’s degree in Organizational Leadership from Mercy College and a B.A. in Sociology from the State University of NY College at Old Westbury.

His impressive credentials include being the Director of Financial Aid at New York Law School and the Assistant Director of Student Financial Advising at Columbia University, among others. He was interested in the position at BCC because of the demographics of the student body. He has successfully worked with first-generation college students, Black and Hispanic students in the past and considers this one of his strengths.

He is responsible for planning, implementing and directing leading-edge and effective financial aid services, functions and processes which will support the College’s mission to recruit, retain, and graduate talented and diverse students.

Working closely with Dr. Bernard Gantt, VP for Enrollment Management, David collaborates with the Enrollment Management team and plays an integral role in meeting student enrollment and retention goals. The emphasis is always on student service.

“My goal is to make applying for financial aid as streamlined as possible. While 70% of our students are comfortable with technology, I have learned that all students require some assistance in completing and submitting financial aid documents. 73% of BCC students receive some form of financial aid,” he noted.

All students must complete a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) document. This will provide them with access to Federal Pell Grants and TAP grants from New York State. In addition, the Jose Peralta New York State Dream Act provides grants to undocumented students. David said, “Students shouldn’t be denied an education because they are not American citizens.”

There are also BCC scholarships and other scholarship aid available to students.

David’s office also counsels students who want to take out loans and warns them of the risks if they can’t pay them back. His office partners with organizations that offer financial literacy courses to students. Zoom meetings with a financial aid counselor are offered every Monday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“Financial aid is extremely important to our students. Ideally, we want them to graduate debt-free so they can either enter the workforce or apply to a four-year institution,” said David.

BCC welcomes David to our campus and knows he will serve our students well moving forward.