Published
Financial Aid Program Reminders!
- Excelsior Scholarship Opens in May for the 2026-2027 Academic Year! Students from families earning $125,000 or less can attend a state-operated SUNY or CUNY college tuition-free.
- Applications are now being accepted for the Enhanced Tuition Award (ETA). ETA provides eligible New York State students up to $6,000 in tuition assistance at participating private colleges in New York State.
The Deadline to apply for Excelsior and ETA is August 31, 2026.
- If you have a student applying for the 2026-27 Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Incentive Scholarship, please make sure they complete all needed forms and materials before summer break. The verification form must be completed by the student's school counselor as part of the application process. The STEM document upload deadline is August 30, 2026.
NEW: HESC FAFSA Completion Dashboard
HESC is proud to introduce the FAFSA Completion Dashboard: an all-new interactive tool that provides a monthly snapshot of FAFSA completion rates among New York’s high school seniors and serves as a key resource for tracking progress statewide.
Get Ready for the 2026 College Application Initiative (CAI) - Early Registration! We've got big news! Thanks to your support, HESC is taking the next step by further expanding College Application Month into the College Application Initiative. This important shift allows us to better serve our students by aligning our timeline and scope with the free college waiver dates.
FAFSA Ready Training On Demand
Did you know HESC’s live FAFSA Ready Training sessions are also available on-demand? These highly informative training sessions, aimed at empowering your students to confidently navigate the FAFSA and TAP, can now be viewed on our website at your convenience!
Upcoming HESC Virtual Events for Students and Parents:
- Get Support with your DREAM Act & Alternate Pathway Applications
- May 20 - 12:00p
- Learn how to complete your DREAM Act and Alternate Pathway applications with expert guidance.
- Tuition-Free College with Excelsior!
- May 12 – 6:00p
- Find out how the Excelsior and Enhanced Tuition Assistance programs work to make higher education more affordable for eligible NYS students.
- Complete Your FAFSA/TAP with HESC
- May 19 – 4:00p
- Join HESC for a live virtual event where you’ll get expert advice on completing or updating your financial aid applications.
- Understanding the NYS STEM Incentive Program
- May 26 – 6:00p
- Let HESC experts walk you through this scholarship geared toward students pursuing emerging careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
👉 View All Upcoming HESC Events.
Have Questions? Call HESC!
You can call HESC directly for financial aid assistance, general questions, or to reset a student's HESC PIN at 1-888-697-4372
Important: To protect student privacy, students must be present on the call when requesting a PIN reset or assistance with their HESCpin account.
Visit the HESC website for more resources. 
Counselors interested in hosting financial aid events should continue reaching out to HESC at [email protected], as this process remains unchanged.
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