Excelsior

Application Period: January 30, 2020
Amount: up to $5,500 annually

Eligibility Criteria:

  • be a resident of NYS and have resided in NYS for 12 continuous months prior to the beginning of the term;
  • be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen;
  • have either graduated from high school in the United States, earned a high school equivalency diploma, or passed a federally approved "Ability to Benefit" test, as defined by the Commissioner of the State Education Department;
  • have a combined federal adjusted gross income of $125,000 or less in 2017;
  • be enrolled in at least 12 credits per term and complete at least 30 credits each year (successively), applicable toward his or her degree program;
  • if attended college prior to the 2019-20 academic year, have earned at least 30 credits each year (successively), applicable toward his or her degree program prior to applying for an Excelsior Scholarship;
  • be in a non-default status on a student loan made under any NYS or federal education loan program or on the repayment of any NYS award;
  • be in compliance with the terms of the service condition(s) imposed by a NYS award that you have previously received; and
  • execute a Contract agreeing to reside in NYS for the length of time the award was received, and, if employed during such time, be employed in NYS
  • complete the New York State Excelsior Scholarship application and contract, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and New York State Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) application by January 30, 2020.

Catch-Up Year:

A student who is not on track to complete an Associate’s degree in two consecutive years or Bachelor’s degree in four consecutive years (which requires completion of the equivalent of 30 credits each academic year) can catch up on missing credits to become eligible for an Excelsior Scholarship. If you successfully earn additional credits during a term or academic year and get back on track to completing your degree on time, you will be eligible to receive an Excelsior Scholarship for the remainder of your undergraduate degree program.

Renewal criteria:

  • Complete 30 credits annually;
  • Complete the Excelsior, FAFSA and TAP applications annually‎;
  • Two year maximum award for Associates degree programs and four year maximum award for Bachelors degree programs.

Application and Additional Information:

To complete the Excelsior application and for additional information, contact the New York State Higher Education Services Corporation.

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