NYS Regents Awards for Children of Deceased and Disabled Veterans

There are no income limits for this Scholarship.

Financial Status

To receive the Scholarship, you must:

• Be in good standing (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, and
• Be in compliance with the terms of the service condition(s) imposed by any NYS award that you have previously received.

To receive the Scholarship, you must meet the following residency requirements: 

• You are a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen.
• You are a legal resident of New York State and have resided in New York State for 12 continuous months.

Not a citizen or eligible noncitizen? Learn more about the NYS DREAM Act application.

The veteran must currently be a New York State resident or have been a New York State resident at the time of death.

Parent served in the U.S. Armed Forces during specified times of war or national emergency and, as a result of service either: 

• Died, 

• Suffered a 40% or more disability, 

• Was classified as missing in action, or

• Was a prisoner of war. 

The veteran must currently be a New York State resident or have been a New York State resident at the time of death.

 Applicable Periods of Service

Students whose parent(s) was the recipient of the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Navy Expeditionary Medal, or the Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal for participation in operations in Lebanon, Grenada, or Panama. 

Note: Students who were born with spina bifida whose parent is a Vietnam Veteran who served in the U.S. Armed Forces in Indochina between 12/22/61 - 05/07/75 must contact HESC at [email protected] for application instructions. 

High School, GED, or Ability to Benefit

• Graduated from high school in the United States, earned a high school equivalency diploma (GED), or passed a federally approved "Ability to Benefit" test. 

College & Program 

Once in college, you must meet the following requirements: 

• Pursuing an undergraduate degree full-time or part-time at an approved post-secondary institution in New York State.
• Matriculated in an approved program of study 

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, students with disabilities can take longer to complete their associate degree or bachelor’s degree and retain their Excelsior Scholarship eligibility if their disability requires them to attend less than full-time (30 credits per year, or its equivalent) or if they need to pause their studies due to their disability.  

Students with qualified disabilities who attend less than full-time must register with their college office for students with disabilities prior to the start of the semester for which they are looking for an Excelsior Scholarship award. 

Please note that neither students with disabilities nor students without disabilities can receive or retain an Excelsior Scholarship if they take longer to complete due to a change of majors or transfer to another college unless such change is a direct result of functional limitations resulting from the impairment that impacts the student’s ability to continue at the college or in the major. Specifically:

For individuals who have lost college credits due to a change in major or transfer of college, consideration for an award will only be given to students who provide medical documentation that clearly specifies that they (1) both (i) transferred to another college due to their disability or medical condition (e.g., the student must be cared for at home and, therefore, transferred to a college near their home) and (ii) changed majors, if applicable, because their previous major was not offered at their transfer college; or (2) were first diagnosed with their disability or medical condition after entering college/selecting their major, and their capacity to continue at that college or in pursuit of that major is or was limited by their disability or medical condition, resulting in the loss of credits.

Learn more about your rights under the Americans with Disability Act of 1990.