Excelsior Scholarship Program
FOR FINANCIAL AID PROFESSIONALS
Access to financial aid makes college affordable for a greater range of students who may otherwise not attend. As SUNY and CUNY’s financial aid professionals, you are most directly responsible for connecting students to New York State financial aid opportunities, helping them manage their aid, and addressing any problems that might arise.
Financial aid professionals are crucial for helping determine Excelsior Scholarship recipients’ eligibility. Throughout the year, you help to determine student’s eligibility by verifying credits, calculating award amounts, and certifying payment eligibility at the end of the term. Below are step by step guides and resources for each of these processes.
Need Help?
For questions on the Excelsior Scholarship process call, 1-866-431-4372 and select option 3 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
The Excelsior Scholarship, in combination with other student financial aid programs, allows students to attend a SUNY or CUNY college tuition-free.
To be an Excelsior Scholarship recipient, an applicant must meet all eligibility requirements including residency, citizenship, secondary education, income, post secondary education, credits earned prior to the scholarship and during, have default and compliance status and meet the post service requirement.
Each college must verify credits for all students who have applied for an Excelsior Scholarship award to determine whether such applicants are on-track to complete an Associate’s degree in two years or a Bachelor’s degree in four years.
At the end of each term the college will certify for each student the tuition rate charged, number of credits completed, cumulative credits earned, other scholarship amounts, number of credits enrolled/earned, Excelsior Scholarship award amount and the final term indicator.
To determine a recipient’s award amount, the 2016-17 resident tuition rate charged by SUNY State-operated campuses ($6,470) or CUNY Senior colleges ($6,330) or actual tuition, whichever is less, is reduced by the amount of certain other student financial aid the recipient has or will receive for the academic year.