Excelsior Scholarship

Excelsior Scholarship

The Excelsior Scholarship program makes an education at SUNY Oneonta more affordable than ever for New York State families.

To learn more about the Excelsior Scholarship, visit New York Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC)

The Excelsior Scholarship Application for 2024-2025 is now closed.

Excelsior Scholarship at a Glance

The Excelsior Scholarship is an innovative, tuition-free program aimed at making an education more affordable for New York State families. SUNY Oneonta is excited about the promise of this groundbreaking program and we are eager to answer your questions and share what we know:

First Year Students:

  • Be a New York State Resident for 12 consecutive months prior to the start of the term
  • Be a U.S. citizen or non-eligible citizen
  • Have graduated from a high school in the U.S. or earned an equivalency diploma
  • Have a combined federal Adjusted Gross Income of $125,000 or less
  • Be pursuing an undergraduate degree
  • Execute a contract agreeing to reside in New York State for the length of time the award was received, and, if employed during such a time, be employed in New York State

Continuing Students/Transfer Students:

  • Meet all of the criteria listed for New students
  • If attended college prior to the 2024-2025 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

Excelsior is available during open application periods here: Excelsior Scholarship Program

Application Tips

Current Excelsior Scholarship recipients do not need to complete this application and no additional action is needed for the Fall term.

To renew your participation in the Excelsior Scholarship program you must:

An Excelsior Scholarship recipient may receive up to $5,500 from the Excelsior Scholarship, minus any amounts received for TAP, PELL or other tuition applicable scholarships.

  • The remainder of your tuition charge will be covered through a tuition credit paid through SUNY
  • Eligible award recipients will be issued a revised bill showing their Excelsior program awards
  • Excelsior scholarship awards do not cover other educational costs such as Comprehensive Student Fee, course fees, room, dining or books.

TAP, PELL and any other grants or scholarships are subtracted from the frozen tuition amount of SUNY $7,070 or CUNY $6,930, the amount remaining is your Excelsior Scholarship award up to a maximum of $5,500.00. Any remaining tuition liability will be covered by a tuition credit paid through SUNY.

Bills for new and returning undergraduate students are available in myOneonta.

  • Excelsior applicants may notice that the scholarship is not reflected on their bill.

If you have applied for the Excelsior Scholarship, SUNY Oneonta is providing you with two options to “clear” your bill, pending determination of your eligibility:

  1. Option 1: Pay the balance in full and be reimbursed any excess payment resulting from an Excelsior Scholarship award.

  2. Option 2: Enroll in the Oneonta Installment Plan and pay the first installment (1/3 of the balance due). If an Excelsior Scholarship is awarded, the remaining installments will be reduced or canceled, depending on the scholarship amount.

The Student Accounts office can be reached at 607-436-3389 and staff will gladly answer any questions you may have about your payment options.

Excelsior Eligibility Determination

  • Students who are determined Excelsior-eligible will receive a notification to login to myOneonta and review a revised financial aid award letter reflecting the addition of their estimated Excelsior Scholarship Award
  • The Excelsior Scholarship award will appear as a credit towards the tuition charge on the revised bill

Important note about Excelsior Scholarship “certification”

At the end of the fall and spring semesters, HESC will require SUNY Oneonta to confirm final award eligibility for each student. This includes confirmation of minimum credits earned and certification of other grants and scholarships factored into the estimated Excelsior Scholarship award calculation.

If a student does not meet the certification requirements, eligibility for the Excelsior Scholarship program and associated awards will be rescinded. HESC determines final eligibility for the Excelsior Scholarship program.

Students are responsible for all monies owed as a result of a loss of eligibility, regardless of when the loss is determined.

  • The Excelsior Scholarship program has a post-graduation residency requirement. Students are required to reside in New York State for the same number of years for which they received the award. Students do not need to be employed during this period; however, they cannot be employed in another state
  • Failure to meet these conditions will result in the conversion of the Excelsior Scholarship to an interest-free loan administered by HESC
  • Some deferments of post-graduation residency requirement such as out-of-state graduate study are allowed as defined in legislation and determined by HESC

Excelsior Scholarship FAQs

We will continue to update this page as more details become available on this first-in-the-nation program to provide a tuition-free college experience to New York State students with qualifying income.

Have a question that we have not addressed? Contact our Financial Aid office:

Inquiry Form

Back to top