Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Tuesday that New York families earning up to $125,000 a year can now apply for the Excelsior Scholarship, a program that eliminates tuition costs for eligible students attending public colleges across the state. The application window for the 2026-27 academic year is open through August 31, 2026, marking another year of New York's commitment to making higher education more accessible.
The Excelsior Scholarship has become a transformative force in New York's education landscape. In the 2024-2025 academic year alone, the state distributed $101 million in Excelsior awards to more than 25,000 students, enabling 72% of CUNY students and 55% of SUNY students to attend college tuition-free through a combination of the Excelsior Scholarship and other financial aid programs. The program's reach extends beyond public universities: students who choose to attend participating private colleges in New York can receive up to $6,000 through the companion Enhanced Tuition Award, which provided $1.7 million to more than 1,500 students last year.
To qualify for the Excelsior Scholarship, students must enroll full-time and complete 30 credits per year toward their degree, including summer and winter terms. Recipients must also maintain momentum toward graduation, staying on track to complete an associate degree in two years or a bachelor's degree in four years. The Enhanced Tuition Award has an additional requirement: recipients must agree to live and work in New York state for the same number of years they received the award, creating a pathway that benefits both students and the state's economy.
Students already receiving either scholarship don't need to reapply annually, though they must continue meeting eligibility requirements and complete the FAFSA, TAP application, or DREAM Act application each year. The New York State Higher Education Services Corporation administers both programs and oversees 27 state financial aid initiatives in total. In 2024-25, more than 294,000 students received state financial aid worth over $935 million.
"Higher education should be a pathway to opportunity, not a source of financial strain," Hochul said in her announcement. The philosophy behind the Excelsior Scholarship reflects this commitment—removing tuition barriers allows students to focus on their studies and build toward meaningful careers without crushing debt before they even graduate.
The opening of the application window represents not just a procedural step but a genuine opportunity for thousands of New York families. For students from working and middle-class backgrounds, tuition-free attendance at a SUNY or CUNY institution can be life-changing, removing a major obstacle to economic mobility and offering a real pathway to degree completion and stable employment. As New York continues to invest in these programs, the message is clear: in this state, a college education should not depend on family wealth.