1. The Excelsior Scholarship & Paying for College in New York State
Spring 2017
Welcome to the New York State Higher Education Services Corporation’s presentation on “Student Financial Aid: What High School Students and Parents Should Know.”
The Higher Education Services Corporation, or HESC, is New York State’s higher education student financial aid agency.
At HESC we administer New York State’s Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) along with 20 different state-sponsored scholarship and student loan forgiveness programs. In addition we conduct outreach programs for students and families to inform them about student financial aid opportunities.
During this presentation we will review how the financial aid system works, what programs are available and the application process.

2. Sources of Financial Aid
Federal government
New York State
Colleges – Institutional aid
Other sources
Businesses
Foundations
Clubs/Organizations
The federal government, New York State, colleges and other organizations are all sources of financial aid. We will discuss the different types of aid each of these sources offer in a moment.

3. HESC.NY.GOV

4. What is the Excelsior Scholarship?
Provides for full in-state tuition for eligible undergraduate SUNY and CUNY students
up to $5,500 minus any amounts received for TAP, Pell or other scholarships
Remainder of tuition charges are covered through SUNY/CUNY Tuition Credit

5. Excelsior Scholarship: Who Qualifies?
applicants, student and parent 2015 federal adjusted gross income (AGI) must be $100,000 or less to qualify
For recipients, $110,000 and under based on 2016 AGI
For recipients, $125,000 and under based on 2017 AGI

6. Excelsior Question: Assets
Does New York State take into consideration student and parent assets like the FAFSA and CSS Profile?
No, eligibility for our programs is based on federal or state adjusted gross income
Other programs are based on merit

7. Excelsior: Other Financial Aid
Excelsior Scholarship awards will be applied to any remaining tuition charges once other aid programs, such as Pell or TAP grants, are applied
May be reduced by other grant or scholarship aid that can pay tuition
Will not be reduced by other non-tuition aid (e.g. housing grants)

8. Excelsior: In-School Requirements
Excelsior Scholarship recipients must earn 30 credits per year to maintain scholarship eligibility
credits may be earned across all terms of an academic year
Must have a passing grade as determined by their degree program

9. Excelsior: Post-Graduation Residency
In-state residency post graduation requirement
Recipients must reside in New York State for the same amount of time they receive an award
If working, must work in NYS during that same residency period

10. Excelsior: Post-Graduation Residency
Postponement of in-state residency requirement will be allowed under certain circumstances
for graduate study, medical residency, military service
Award converted to an interest-free loan if residency requirement is not met

11. Excelsior Scholarship: Application Process
Must apply for the FAFSA and New York State Tuition Assistance Program
application will be available on hesc.ny.gov on June 7th
Applications for students will be available sometime next school year

12. Sign Up for Notification at HESC.NY.GOV

13. FAFSA.gov: October 1st of Senior Year
Here is a screen shot of the FAFSA website so you know where to go.
We recommend that ALL students should complete the FAFSA. Again, FAFSA stands for the FREE Application for Federal Student Aid.

14. Applying for New York State Aid
Once you successfully complete the FAFSA, you will see the confirmation page.
If you indicated you are a resident of New York State and listed at least one college located in New York State on the FAFSA application, the link highlighted in this screen shot will be present on the confirmation page. Using the link will bring you to the HESC TAP application web portal. Make sure pop-up blockers are set to allow pop-ups on the FAFSA website!
First time TAP applicants will need to establish a HESC User ID and PIN number as part of the application process.

15. Anytime TAP-on-the-Web Application
Using the link will bring you to the HESC TAP application web portal. Make sure pop-up blockers are set to allow pop-ups on the FAFSA website!
First time TAP applicants will need to establish a HESC User ID and PIN number as part of the application process.

16. NYS Student Aid Programs: TAP
Tuition Assistance Program (TAP)
Undergraduates
Need-based, up to $5,165/year
Full-time and part-time study in NYS
For applicants, based on 2016 NYS tax return info
The Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) is New York State’s need-based grant program. TAP is awarded to help cover tuition costs only and may be available for either full or part-time students attending a college in New York State.
Currently, the maximum TAP award is up to $5,165 per year. Qualifying for TAP and the exact amount awarded will depend on student and parent New York State taxable income.

17. Other NYS Student Aid Programs
Excelsior Scholarship
Enhanced Tuition Award
New York Achievement & Investment in Merit Scholarship (NY-AIMS)
STEM Incentive Program
More programs and info at hesc.ny.gov
New York State administers a number of grant, scholarship and award programs. A few of these programs are listed here and the complete list can be found on the hesc.ny.gov website.
Some programs, like the NYS STEM Incentive Program, have a service component which students would be required to complete after completing college.

18. Enhanced Tuition Awards (ETA)
Provides tuition awards to NYS residents attending participating private schools in New York State.
up to $6,000 through a combination of TAP, ETA award and a match from the private college.
For 2017, combined household federal Adjusted Gross Income must be less than $100,000 to qualify
up to $110,000 in 2018, up to $125,000 in 2019

19. NYS Achievement & Investment in Merit Scholarship (NY-AIMS)
$500 annual award for study in NYS
Students must achieve two of the following criteria
graduate with a GPA of 3.3 or above
graduate “with honors” on a NYS Regents diploma
score 3 or higher on two or more AP exams
graduate in top 15% of high school class
Apply at hesc.ny.gov in May senior year
New York State also offers merit-based aid options, such as the NYS Achievement & Investment in Merit Scholarship, or NY-AIMS.
The NY-AIMS scholarship provides a $500 renewable award for study in New York State. Students can apply for this program if they meet two of the following criteria:
-graduated from high school with a GPA of 3.3 or above
-received a “with honors” designation on their NYS Regents diploma
-received a score of 3 or higher on two or more Advanced Placement (AP) examinations
-graduated within the top 15% of their high school class
Students can apply online for this program on hesc.ny.gov starting in May of their senior year.

20. NYS STEM Incentive Program
Provides full in-state tuition scholarship for undergraduate SUNY and CUNY students
For degree programs in Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics
Student must be ranked in top 10% of high school senior class to qualify
Must execute a service agreement with NYS
Apply at hesc.ny.gov in October of senior year
In addition to NY-AIMS, New York State offers the NYS STEM Incentive Program that awards full in-state tuition scholarships to attend SUNY or CUNY colleges or universities.
To qualify, applicants must be:
graduating seniors that are ranked in top 10% of their high school class
studying at a SUNY or CUNY college or university in an undergraduate program leading to a degree in Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics
There is a service commitment in which a student must agree to work and reside in New York State for five years after completing their education and must work in an approved STEM field. Anyone who is interested in this program may apply online at hesc.ny.gov beginning in January of their senior year of high school.

21. Apply for New York State Scholarships, Other Programs: HESC.ny.gov
If you are interested in applying to other New York State student financial aid programs, such as our state scholarship programs, then you can go to the HESC website at HESC.ny.gov. Under the “Pay” tab you will see a link to Other NYS Grants, Scholarships & Awards.

22. NYS Higher Education Services Corporation
Questions?
NYS Higher Education Services Corporation
99 Washington Avenue
Albany, NY 12255
1-888-NYSHESC ( )
Thank you for attending HESC’s presentation “Student Financial Aid: What Every High School Students and Parents Should Know.” We hope you found the information useful in your quest to learn more about student financial aid opportunities and the application process.
Our agency website and customer call center number is listed here for future reference. Please feel free to reach out to us should you have any questions about New York State student financial aid programs.
Does anyone have any questions?