Excelsior Scholarship

The Excelsior Scholarship lets students from families with a combined federal adjusted gross income of $125,000 or less attend a state-operated SUNY or CUNY college without paying tuition. It is a last-dollar award: Pell, TAP and other grants or scholarships not reserved for non-tuition costs are applied first, and Excelsior covers the tuition that remains; it is a tuition award only. Recipients must enroll full time and complete at least 30 credits a year toward their program. Awards last up to two years for an associate degree, four years for a bachelor's degree and five years for approved five-year programs. After the award ends, recipients must live in New York for as many years as they received the scholarship and, if employed, work in the state. Students must file the FAFSA and TAP application, or the DREAM Act application, every year. HESC's page shows the 2026-27 application as closed, so new applicants should watch for the next application period.