The Governor Kathy Hochul confirmed the opening of the Register for the Excelsior Scholarship for the spring semester of 2026. The program is aimed at full-time Bachelor’s students New York State Public Facilities and is part of the state’s policy to contain the costs of higher education. Since its inception in 2017, the initiative has enabled thousands of students to access universities and colleges without paying tuition fees.
The program allows complete a university course without paying tuition fees at two- and four-year institutions in the State University of New York (SUNY) system and the City University of New York (CUNY) system, they explain in the statement.
The benefit is intended solely to cover study costs and does not include the costs of accommodation, materials or transport.
The initiative is sought students from middle-income familieswith the aim of expanding access to university degrees without incurring debt due to fees.
To receive the scholarship, applicants must meet the economic, academic and administrative requirements established by the state. The main criteria include:
To receive the scholarship, the student must be U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen and credit legal resident of New York State for at least 12 consecutive months.
Those who do not meet legal resident status can check their eligibility using the DREAM Act of the State of New York (NYS DREAM Act)which provides an alternative route to access federal financial aid, even for undocumented students who have received it High school diploma or a GED (General Educational Development Certificate).
In announcing the registration opening, the governor emphasized the structural scope of the program. Hochul said: “Every year the Excelsior scholarship “Helps transform the lives of tens of thousands of students by making tuition-free college a reality and strengthening affordability across the state.”
Hochul claimed that the Investing in education Superior directly impacts familiesCommunities and Economic Development in New York.
The management of the program is the responsibility of the Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC)the government agency responsible for providing financial support to students.
According to official information, HESC accompanies almost every year 300,000 students and distributes more than $935 million in scholarships, grants and loan forgiveness services, including TAP and Excelsior.
HESC President Guillermo Linares emphasized that the program “makes tuition-free university a concrete reality for thousands of families.”
Applications are being accepted for the spring semester of 2026 until February 3, 2026. The procedure is carried out online via the official HESC website, where the steps and required documentation are also detailed.
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