Enhanced Tuition Awards (ETA) FAQs

Yes. Students who are currently attending college are eligible to receive an award, provided they are currently on track to complete their degree on time, and their college participates in the ETA program.

Award recipients need to earn a passing grade to maintain their Enhanced Tuition Awards, provided they earn a total of 30 credits over the course of a year.

Recipients should keep in mind that they may have other awards that also carry academic standards that differ from those required for the Enhanced Tuition Awards.

A student who experiences a family loss would be granted an allowable leave of absence and would not lose eligibility upon returning to the same college or university. 

Students can apply to both but must select a college and a program prior to signing the contract. 

Yes. You must live in New York State for the number of years equal to the awards you received.

For example, if you received four Enhanced Tuition Awards while getting your bachelor’s degree, you must live in New York State for four years after college.

In addition, if you are working during those years, you must work in New York State.  Failure to meet these requirements will result in the conversion of your award to a loan.

Dependent students must report their own annual gross income and the annual gross income of their parents or their spouse, as applicable. 

To determine if you meet the income eligibility requirements for the Enhanced Tuition Award, HESC verifies the income information that was provided on your NYS financial aid application with the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance (NYS Tax). 

If the information on your application does not match the data on file with NYS Tax, HESC cannot verify your income. In this case, you will be notified by email and required to take additional steps to resolve the issue. 

Log in to your HESC account and review your financial information. Ensure the details on your application match your tax return exactly. 

• Visit "Student Account"
• Click “Review My NYS Financial Aid Information” and log in.
• Select “Details” next to the most recent Enhanced Tuition Award activity date.
• Review the message on the details page and click the link to update your income and earner information. 

If your information still doesn’t match, you’ll need to submit an IRS tax transcript to HESC to be manually verified. Tax transcripts may be uploaded through the ETA Scholarship Document Portal. 

• Go to www.irs.gov/individuals/get-transcript. 
• Register for an account using your Social Security number, date of birth, filing status, and mailing address. You’ll also need the following: 
  • An email address  
  • A credit card, mortgage, or loan account in your name  
  • A cellphone in your name. 
• Once registered, you can view, print, or download your transcript immediately. 

If you can’t access the IRS "Get Transcript" tool, request a transcript by mail: 

• Submit Form 4506-T (www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-4506-t).
• Or call 800-908-9946.  

It may take 5–10 days to receive your transcript by mail. 

If you no longer live at the address listed on your tax return, you must first update your address with the IRS before requesting a transcript. The IRS may take up to 6 weeks to process your address change. 

A student who transferred between colleges is eligible for an Enhanced Tuition Award if they are on track to complete on time based on the number of credits accepted by their current college, the college is participating, and they are selected to receive an award at that college.

You can lose the scholarship if you do not continue to meet all eligibility requirements. For example, you must enroll in at least 12 credits per term and complete 30 credits per year to continue to receive the scholarship.

Yes, provided the college that you are attending accepts all the credits you earned in completing your associate degree and you meet all other requirements for the Enhanced Tuition Award.

Yes. Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) students are eligible for the ETA. HEOP students must earn 24 credits per year and be on track to complete their degree in 5 years. If eligible, the award amount would be calculated by subtracting the recipient’s TAP award from the $6,000 award, with half of the remaining balance paid by ETA and half paid by the college. 

No. Students with disabilities under the ADA are allowed to attend on a part-time basis, and their award will be prorated.