Please carefully read the eligibility guidelines and FAQs before submitting the application. Excelsior is a more complicated program than students and families initially suspect, with explicit limitations; media and other outlets referring to Excelsior as "free college" are misleading. But, it may reduce college costs for some families.
Some important points to note:
-Excelsior can ONLY be used for tuition costs, NOT room, board, or other college expenses
-Excelsior only applies to students attending CUNY or SUNY institutions (or the public undergrad divisions of Cornell)
-Excelsior recipients will have a resulting obligation to live and work in New York State after graduation
Again, carefully read the eligibility guidelines and FAQs before applying. The application itself can be found here. Undocumented students, or those in the US on Visas, must complete the NYS Dream Act application.
