New York State’s Excelsior Program offers “free tuition” to SUNY and CUNY colleges for a limited number of New York state residents. For students entering their first year in fall 2019, their families must have a federal adjusted gross family income of less than $125,000.

If you are among the limited number of students who receive an Excelsior Award, there are important restrictions you should be aware of (see charts below). Weigh your financial options (including the net cost to attend colleges you are considering), curricular and co-curricular opportunities (research, internships, study abroad, campus life), and outcomes of each college (starting salaries, employers, alumni benefits).

In August 2018, Excelsior-eligible students were informed of their awards by New York State. The Center for Urban Future reports: “Excelsior Scholarship Serving Very Few New York Students,” noting that significantly fewer New York City students have benefited from the program and that 36,095 student applications were denied because they didn’t have sufficient credits.

Excelsior’s Requirements, New York Tech’s Responsiveness

If you do not meet all of New York State’s requirements, the award becomes a loan, and you will be required to repay the full amount.

Excelsior’s Limitations, New York Tech’s Opportunities

The New York Tech Advantage

So, while tuition isn’t exactly free at New York Tech, we offer the benefits and flexibility of attending a private, competitive, high-tech, high-touch university in New York and none of Excelsior’s rules and restrictions.

Affordability: We strive to make your education affordable. On average, Pell-eligible students with a 3.5 GPA and 1200 SAT have 90 percent of their tuition covered at New York Tech through grants and scholarships. We have one of the lowest tuitions of any private college in New York State and provide generous scholarships and financial aid packages to more than 95.1% of our students

Successful Outcomes: New York Tech graduates are some of the highest paid entry-level employees, according to PayScale.com, which also ranks New York Tech in the top 22% of best schools for engineering by salary potential, according to payscale.com.

Prestigious Reputation: See our impressive rankings and statistics demonstrating the caliber and the outcomes of an New York Tech education.

Location: Only 55.6 percent of Long Island students are eligible for Excelsior (vs. a statewide average of more than 75 percent), according to ny.gov. Even if you are Excelsior eligible, New York Tech’s Long Island (Old Westbury, N.Y.) and New York City (Manhattan) campuses are affordable options if you want to stay close to (or live at) home.

Things to remember:

• Read all of the qualifications and frequently asked questions for the Excelsior Scholarship and the Enhanced Tuition Awards. Even if you meet all of the requirements, hundreds of thousands of families may also qualify. The lottery system will only grant awards to a finite group of students.
• Look at the bottom line, and compare total costs. “Free tuition” does not cover room and board at a SUNY or CUNY college, and you may find that your total costs at New York Tech are similar when you consider the robust merit and financial aid packages offered.
• New York Tech grants and scholarships will never “change” to a loan. Any New York Tech grant or scholarship is “free” money and will never need to be repaid.
• Lower-than-average student loan default rates generally indicate successful after-college experiences. In 2014 (the most recent year for which data is available), New York Tech’s default rate was 6.4%, compared to the 11.5 percent national rate announced by U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.