Excelsior Scholarship

This program covers tuition for eligible CUNY students. The program will be phased in over three years, beginning in Fall 2017. It would first apply to families who earn $100,000 or less, then to those who earn $110,000 or less in 2018, and eventually reaching $125,000 or less in 2019.
 
To be eligible for Excelsior, a student must: 

• 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;

• be pursuing an undergraduate degree at a SUNY or CUNY college, including community colleges and the statutory colleges at Cornell University and Alfred University;

• 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;

• follow 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.

View commonly asked questions pertaining to the Excelsior Scholarship.

For more information on Excelsior click here