Excelsior Scholarship

New York became the first state in the nation to offer free tuition to its public universities. The Excelsior Scholarship was announced in April 2017 by New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo to ensure that “the dream of opportunity is for everyone.” Former CUNY Chancellor James Milliken noted that it “will enable many New York State residents to attend a CUNY college tuition-free and establish a national model broadening access to higher education.”

The scholarship will be available in Fall 2023 to John Jay College students who meet the following criteria:

The Excelsior Scholarship will be applied to each qualifying student’s financial aid package after all other aid, including TAP, Pell, City Council Scholarship, college scholarships, and other grants or scholarships are applied. Students MUST complete the FAFSA and TAP applications BEFORE they can apply for the Excelsior Scholarship.

Students can learn more about the Excelsior Scholarship and apply for the scholarship at the NY State’s HESC site.

The Fall 2023 application is open to students first entering college in the Fall 2023 term, students who caught up on credits during the Spring 2023 term to meet the credit requirement, and current college students who missed the deadline for the Spring 2023 application.

Current Excelsior Scholarship recipients should not complete this application. For students who first received an award in Fall 2017, Spring 2018, Fall 2018, Spring 2019, or Fall 2019, Spring 2020, Fall 2020, Spring 2021, Fall 2021, Spring 2022, Fall 2022 or Spring 2023 no additional action is needed.

Fall 2023 Deadline: August 31, 2023

For information from CUNY about this scholarship, click here

Contact Us

The Financial Aid Office

Mailing Address 
524 West 59th Street
BMW, 607
New York, NY 10019
Phone: 212-663-7867
E-mail: financialaid@jjay.cuny.edu