Are You Ready for 2022-23?
Do you still have a gap in the amount of your tuition aid and your college tuition cost for the 2022-23 academic year even after Pell and TAP? If so, the Excelsior Scholarship or the Enhanced Tuition Awards Program may be right for you.
If your family’s 2020 adjusted gross income was $125,000 or less and you are attending a SUNY or CUNY college or university, you may be eligible for the Excelsior Scholarship. If you are attending a participating private college, you may be eligible for the Enhanced Tuition Awards (ETA) Program.
The Excelsior Scholarship covers up to the resident tuition costs for eligible SUNY and CUNY students and requires that you reside in New York State for a period equivalent to the awards received. To learn more about post-graduation requirements and/or to apply, visit hesc.ny.gov/excelsior.
ETA provides $6,000 in tuition aid to eligible students through a combination of TAP (if any), the ETA award and a match from your participating private college. To learn if your private college is participating in the 2022-23 ETA program and/or to apply, visit hesc.ny.gov/eta.
Applications for the Excelsior Scholarship and ETA Program close on August 31st, 2022.
Returning Financial Aid Award Recipients
Did you know that even if you received financial aid last year you need to file both the FAFSA renewal application and the NYS Student Aid Payment Application each year to determine your continued federal and state financial aid eligibility and receive payment for your New York State aid? Eligibility for student aid does not carry over from one award year to the next, as factors that determine your eligibility and award amount (like your family’s income or the number of your family members enrolled in college) for can differ from year to year.
- FAFSA – Filing a FAFSA renewal each year is easier and faster than completing the form for the first time as much of your information you provided on the previous year’s FAFSA is carried forward into a renewal. Remember to update any pre-filled information that has changed since last year. To renew your FAFSA for 2022-23, visit studentaid.ed.gov and log in as a returning user.
- NYS Student Aid Payment Application – To request payment of your award each year, you must complete the NYS Student Aid Payment Application which is linked directly from the FAFSA. If you missed it, you can apply here.
Check Your Deadlines!
It is important to meet filing deadlines for financial aid. Whether you are a new college student applying for the first time, or a returning student who is applying for renewal of your New York State aid, be sure to submit your financial aid applications and documentation before the deadline.
After being notified that you are eligible for an award, remember to accept the grants and scholarships you want by signing any required contracts. Remember that any award program that has a post-graduation condition requiring that you reside, work in NYS and/or work in a specified field will require that you sign a contract agreeing to the post-graduation terms as acceptance of the award.