• Residency :- A recipient must be a resident of NYS and have resided in NYS for 12 continuous months prior to the beginning of the
  
• term for which an Excelsior Scholarship award is being sought.
• Note: This determination is made by HESC; however, school officials should notify HESC if they have additional information
• indicating that an award recipient does not reside in NYS or has not resided in NYS for 12 continuous months prior to the
• term in which they are receiving an award.
• • Citizenship :- A recipient must be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen as provided in §661(3) of New York State Education Law.
• Note: This determination is made based on information provided by the student on the ISIR; however, school officials
• should notify HESC if they have additional information indicating that an award recipient is not a citizen or eligible
• non-citizen.
•  Secondary Education :- A recipient must have either a certificate of graduation from a high school within the United States; or the recognized equivalent of such certificate (e.g. earned a high school equivalency diploma); or received a passing score on a federally approved ability to benefit test that has been identified by the State Education Department Board of Regents and has been independently administered and evaluated as defined by the Commissioner.
•  Note: This determination is made by the college listed by the applicant on the Excelsior Scholarship application unless the applicant has updated his or her HESC account with a new college code. Beginning with the 2019-20 Excelsior Scholarship application, information to demonstrate that an applicant meets this requirement will be requested as part of
• the application process. Schools will also continue to verify this requirement.
• Income :- A recipient must have a combined federal adjusted gross income of $100,000 or less for the 2017-18 academic year, $110,000 or less for the 2018-19 academic year, and $125,000 or less for academic years 2019-20 and thereafter. Note: This determination is made by HESC in partnership with the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance; however, school officials should notify HESC if they have additional information regarding income.

Excelsior Scholarship Program — How Eligibility is Determined  

• Postsecondary Education
  
• A recipient must be matriculated and pursuing his or her undergraduate degree at a SUNY or CUNY college, including
• community colleges and the statutory colleges at Cornell University and Alfred University. Students who have earned
• an Associate’s degree (and who enroll immediately after completing their Associate’s degree) may receive an award for
• purposes of completing a Bachelor’s degree.
• Note: This determination is made by the college listed by the applicant on the Excelsior Scholarship application unless
• the applicant has updated his or her HESC account with a new college code.
• Credits Earned While an Excelsior Scholarship Recipient
• A recipient must be enrolled in at least 12 credits in his or her program(s) of study each term and successfully complete
• 30 credits in their program(s) of study each evaluation year with no break in attendance, unless such break in attendance
• is allowable, pursuant to program regulations. College credits, if applicable to the recipient’s program(s) of study, earned
• prior to matriculation may be used to meet this requirement.
• Note: Data used to determine if a recipient was enrolled in the requisite credits towards his or her program(s) of study is
• evaluated and reported at the time of certification by the college in which the student was enrolled. The determination
• regarding an allowable break in attendance is made by HESC in partnership with the college, when required.
• Credits Earned Prior to Becoming an Excelsior Scholarship Recipient
• An applicant, if he or she attended college as a matriculated student prior to applying for an award, must have earned
• sufficient credits to be on track to completing an Associate’s degree in two years or a Bachelor’s degree within four years
• with no break in attendance, unless such break in attendance was allowable, pursuant to program regulations. Students
• enrolled in a program of study normally requiring five years or an opportunity program are entitled to complete their
• degree within five years.
• If a college code change is processed for an Excelsior Scholarship applicant prior to his or her eligibility determination, the
• applicant’s record is removed from the original credit verification file and added to the new school’s credit verification file.
• Note: Data used to determine if an applicant has earned sufficient prior credits towards his/her program(s) of study with
• no break in attendance is provided by the college listed by the applicant on the Excelsior Scholarship application, unless
• the applicant has updated his or her HESC account with a new college code. The determination regarding an allowable
• break in attendance is made by HESC in partnership with the college, when required.
• Catching Up on Credits
• An applicant who is not on track to complete an associate’s degree in two consecutive years or a bachelor’s degree in
• four consecutive years (which requires the completion of an average of 30 credits each academic year) can catch up on
• missing credits to become eligible for an Excelsior Scholarship.
• Default and Compliance Status
• An applicant must 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.
• An applicant must also be in compliance with the terms of the service condition(s) imposed by a NYS award that he or
• she has previously received.

Excelsior Scholarship Program — How Eligibility is Determined

• Note: This determination is made by HESC; however, school officials should notify HESC if they have additional information
  
• indicating that an award recipient is (i) in default on a student loan made under any NYS or federal education loan
• program or on the repayment of any NYS award, or (ii) noncompliant with the terms of the service conditions imposed by
• a NYS award previously received.
• • Excelsior Contract
• Upon approval, an applicant must execute a Contract agreeing to reside in NYS for the length of time the award is
• received, and, if employed during such time, be employed in NYS. An applicant who has been determined to be eligible
• for an award will be instructed as to the execution and submission of the Contract. Failure to sign or submit the Contract
• by the given deadline will result in the denial of the award.
• Note: This determination is made by HESC.
• • Length of Awards and Prior Degrees
• Excelsior Scholarship recipients are eligible to receive award payments for not more than two years of full-time
• undergraduate study in a program leading to an associate’s degree or four years of full-time undergraduate study in a
• program leading to a bachelor’s degree (or five years for an approved five-year undergraduate degree program or an
• opportunity program).
• Students may not receive an award to pursue a certificate, second associate’s or a second bachelor’s degree. Nor may
• students who have earned a bachelor’s degree use an award to earn an associate’s degree.
• • Appeals
• Students may appeal adverse income and on time completion determinations within prescribed deadlines. 

 Excelsior scholarship STUDENT APPLICATION 

• 2.1 New Excelsior Scholarship Applicants
  
• An Excelsior Scholarship Recipient is any person who was, in any year, determined to be eligible for an award and who signed
• the Excelsior Contract, regardless of whether award dollars were actually disbursed on the recipient’s behalf. Such recipients
• appear on the college’s Student Status Listing and an award amount of $0 or more would then be calculated by the college.
• Any person who is not an Excelsior Scholarship Recipient (including students who applied in a previous year and were
• determined to be ineligible due to factors such as income, residency, default status or insufficient credits) must apply by
• taking the following steps:
• 2.1.1. Complete the FAFSA at least 7 to 10 days prior to completing the Excelsior Scholarship Application, depending on
•  the method used to file the FAFSA.
• 2.1.2. Complete the NYS State Payment Application (commonly referred to as the TAP application), if income eligible, at
•  least 3 to 5 days prior to completing the Excelsior Scholarship application.
• 2.2 Returning Excelsior Scholarship Recipients
• Returning Excelsior Scholarship Recipients are not required to complete the Excelsior Scholarship application in any subsequent
• year, even if they have received a $0 award in any previous year. In each year following initial eligibility, Excelsior Scholarship
• Recipients must take the following step

Ways to New York EBT Balance Check

Excelsior Scholarship Program — How Eligibility is Determined

• 2.2.1. Complete the FAFSA.
  
• 2.2.2. Complete the NYS State Payment Application requesting payment for the upcoming school year.
• 2.2.3. For 2018-19, returning Excelsior Scholarship Recipients have until June 30, 2019 to complete the FAFSA and
•  TAP applications. Payment cannot occur until the FAFSA and TAP applications have been filed and processed and
•  all other available awards (such as Pell and TAP) have been exhausted. An Excelsior Scholarship Recipient who
•  misses the June 30 deadline will receive no payment for the 2018-19 academic year, but remains eligible for
•  future payments.
• Returning Excelsior Scholarship Recipients who transfer colleges can:
• • Send an email to [email protected] and HESC will update its records to reflect the new college; or
• • Notify their new college, who will update HESC’s records to reflect the new college; or
• • Log into their HESC account and change their college code to reflect the new college.

How to Apply / When to Apply 

• 2.3.1. The Fall 2017-18 Excelsior Scholarship application opened on June 7, 2017 and closed on July 21, 2017.
  
• 2.3.2. The Spring 2018 Excelsior Scholarship application opened on October, 31, 2017 and closed on December 4, 2017.
• 2.3.3. The Fall 2018-19 Excelsior Scholarship application opened on March 26, 2018 and closed on July 23, 2018.

Award Amount*

• 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 through continuous study with no break in enrollment except for certain reasons that can be documented;
• if attended college prior to the 2023-24 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 any 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.

Catching Up on Credits

• Term(s) Completed 2, 4-, and 5-Year Programs Opportunity Programs
  
• 1 15 credits 12 credits
• 2 30 credits 24 credits
• 3 45 credits 36 credits
• 4 60 credits 48 credits
• 5 75 credits 60 credits
• 6 90 credits 72 credits
• 7 105 credits 84 credits
• 8 120 credits 96 credits
• 9 135 credits* 108 credits
• 10 150 credits* 120 credits

Excelsior Scholarship Program — How to Calculate Awards

• • Pell Grant
  
• • TAP Award
• • TAP Tuition Credit
• • SEOG Grant
• • ACCESS/VR
• • Institutional Scholarship (unless specifically designated as a non-tuition award only)
• • Outside scholarships (unless specifically designated as a non-tuition award)
• › Funds that are identified for cost of attendance (COA), tuition, or no designation at all must be included in the
• calculation of an Excelsior Scholarship award.
• › The outside scholarship’s “non-tuition award” designation must apply to both recipients of the Excelsior
• Scholarship and non-Excelsior Scholarship recipients.
  

Financial assistance paid to opportunity program students through the EOP, SEEK or College Discovery program should be deducted if the aid is used to pay the students’ tuition expense. If such financial assistance is used for transportation, books or other nontuition expenses, it should not be deducted when calculating the Excelsior Scholarship award amount.

Single Family Housing Repair Loans & Grants

 How to Calculate the Excelsior Scholarship Award Amount

• 1. The school loads the HE8976 Manifest to their system.
  
• 2. Once downloaded, the school enters all required data in all fields on the HE8976 Manifest.
• 3. The school sends the Excelsior Certification File – HE8977 (“Certification File”) containing the data to HESC using
• HESC’s secure web file transfer system.
• 4. HESC processes the HE8977 Certification Files daily (each evening). If multiple files for an individual student are
• submitted in single day, the last version sent during that day will be processed that evening.
• 5. After processing the HE8977 Certification Files each evening, HESC loads the subsequent HE8976 Manifest each
• morning, containing:
• a. Awards ready to be certified for the first time
• b. Certifications that were unable to be processed due to errors
• c. Results of the school’s prior successful certifications; and
• d. Awards to be re-certified because the student’s TAP award changed.
• 6. After downloading the subsequent HE8976 Manifest, schools should review the data, update student records, and
• send back any new certifications or corrections to prior certifications.

 Excelsior scholarship program user guide pdf