The New York State Excelsior Scholarship
Application Availability
The New York State Excelsior application is available twice per academic year (usually in the summer and winter) on the New York State Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC) website. Sign up on the HESC website to remain in formed about the application availability and deadlines.
Who Should Apply?
The application is open to:
- undergraduate students first entering college out of high school,
- undergraduate students who caught up on credits prior to the start of the term, and
- current undergraduate students who missed the deadline for prior applications.
Who Should Not Apply?
Graduate students, undergraduate students who first enrolled in college more than four years prior to the start of the semester, and undergraduate students who first enrolled in college more than five years prior to the start of the semester if in an approved five-year program or Opportunity Program/SEEK are not eligible for the Excelsior Scholarship and should not submit an application. For example, a student who enrolled in college in fall 2018 would not be eligible to apply for the fall 2023 semester.
Current and prior Excelsior Scholarship recipients do not need to complete this application again to be considered for the scholarship.
Who Is Considered an Excelsior Recipient?
As noted above, if you are already a recipient of an Excelsior Scholarship from a previous application period, you do not need to complete the most recent Excelsior application. You are considered a recipient if you signed and submitted the Excelsior Scholarship contract, even if you did not receive payment in the prior year.
Learn About the New York State Excelsior Scholarship
To make sure you fully understand all of the eligibility criteria, we strongly recommend that you carefully review the following information before you apply:
