The Excelsior Scholarship Eligibility US Citizens or eligible

The Excelsior Scholarship

Eligibility • US Citizens or eligible non-citizens • First-time or continuing full-time students at SUNY/CUNY pursuing their first Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree • Full-time residents of New York State for 12 continuous months prior to the term they are applying for • Have applied for FAFSA and NYS TAP

Income Eligibility • Reviewed based on prior-prior year income, similar to FAFSA and TAP • For the 2017 -18 AY: $100, 000 (2015 return) • For the 2018 -19 AY: $110, 000 (2016 return) • For the 2019 -20 AY: $125, 000 (2017 return)

Income Eligibility • No adjustments are allowed to reduce AGI • Students must reapply for Excelsior annually to report their income • If AGI exceeds the income qualification, then they will not qualify that year. • If a student loses an award for not meeting the 30 credit requirement, the student cannot regain it. • Students may reapply in a future year if future income falls within eligibility

Award Amounts • Excelsior Scholarship will award up to $5, 500 • Remaining tuition charges will be covered through a SUNY/CUNY tuition credit • Scholarship will be reduced by any other grant or scholarship that can be applied to tuition • Including Pell, TAP, SEOG, SUNY/CUNY/Private scholarships

In School Academic Requirements • Recipients must take 12 credits per term and complete 30 credits in a year and be on track to graduate on time • Earn a passing grade as established by the school • Eligible students must be on track to complete an associate’s degree in 2 years and a bachelor’s degree in 4 years. Those with prior college experience must have completed 30 credits each year, consecutively, without a break except for summer or winter terms.

AP and other Pre-College Credit • Any non-matriculated college credit that is transferred into SUNY and CUNY can be used to help students meet their annual 30 credit requirement • Pre-college and non-matriculated credits may be “banked” to use in future academic years where the student did not meet the annual 30 credit requirement.

Loss of Award • Students who fail to complete 30 credits at the end of the year will be able to keep their award for the first term, as long as they attempted to 12 credits or more. • Does not need to be repaid to NYS • However, they will not be eligible for any award in their second term or future terms

Loss of Award • If a student loses their award for not meeting the annual 30 -credit requirement, then they cannot regain eligibility as they are no longer on-track to graduate on-time. • Exceptions will be made on a case-by-case basis for students with special circumstances, such as illness or death of a relative. Students must appeal to their college if there is a special circumstance.

Continuing and Transfer Students • If attended college prior to the 2017 -18 academic year, have earned at least 30 credits each year (successively), applicable toward his or her degree program prior to applying for an Excelsior Scholarship

Catch-up Year for Continuing Students • Applicants who first entered college as a freshman student in the 2015 -16 and who have earned 54 credits, or who first entered college as a freshman student in 2016 -17 academic year and who earned 24 credits can make up those 6 credits in 2017 -18. Students who successfully earn 36 credits in the 2017 -18 academic year can become eligible for the Excelsior Scholarship beginning in the 2018 -19 academic year.

Post-graduation Residency Requirement • Excelsior recipients must agree to live in New York State for the length of time they participated in the program • If working, must also work in New York State • Residency requirement may be met during, undergrad, graduate or doctoral studies at a NYS college • Failure to meet the post-award residency requirement will result of the conversion of the award to a 10 -year interest free loan.

Post-graduation Residency Requirement • Exceptions and postponements to post-graduation residency will be made on a case-by-case basis • Graduate/Doctoral study outside of NYS, military service, job market conditions • HESC is authorized to grant a waiver of the requirement in cases of extreme hardship (e. g. , a poor job market or job relocation due to a plant closing, etc. )

Application Process • Available online at HESC. ny. gov/excelsior • March 2018 for 2018 -19 applicants? • Sign up for the HESC alert at www. hesc. ny. gov/excelsior • Students will need to sign in with their HESC User ID and PIN to finalize application • Approvals or denials will be emailed to students within one week of applying

What Documents are Needed to Apply • Parent, student federal income tax return(s) • Student’s Student Aid Report (SAR) from FAFSA completed showing a calculated EFC • Must be uploaded through the application • Current unofficial college transcript showing the number of credits earned each year prior, if continuing student • Must be uploaded through the application

After Being Approved • Excelsior recipients will be asked to finalize their award application by executing a service agreement with New York State • Agreeing to live and work, if working, in New York State post-graduation • Signing a promissory agreement for the conversion of the scholarship to a zero-interest loan if residency requirement is not fulfilled

Thank You Contact: Kevin Sapio k. p. sapio@sunyocc. edu Denise Reid-Strachan reidd@sunyocc. edu