World Trade Center Memorial Scholarship

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.
• 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.

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

Be either a survivor, who is severely and permanently disabled as a result of injuries sustained in the attacks or subsequent rescue and recovery operations, or a child, spouse or financial dependent of a deceased or severely and permanently disabled victim.

Note: To be deemed severely and permanently disabled, one must be unable to engage in any occupation for payment or profit because of a severe or permanent disability sustained as a direct result of the September 11, 2001 attack on the United States or while engaged in the subsequent rescue and recovery efforts. For purposes of this award, someone who is able to work and earn money, even on a part-time basis or light duty, is not considered to have a severe and permanent disability.

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

• Enrolled full-time taking 12 or more credits per semester applicable toward the degree program.
• Matriculated in an approved program of study.
• Study at an approved post-secondary institution in New York State.

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.