NYS Scholarships for Academic Excellence
Offered by New York State Education Department (NYSED) · Free to apply
New York awards exactly 8,000 Scholarships for Academic Excellence each year to graduating seniors from registered New York high schools: 2,000 worth $1,500 a year and 6,000 worth $500 a year, each renewable for up to four years of undergraduate study in New York State. Scholarships are designated by high schools based on Regents examination performance. Because the award count and the split are both published, this is one of the few programs where a family can see genuinely precise odds. It is administered by NYSED rather than HESC, which is why it is easy to miss.
How hard is the NYS Scholarships for Academic Excellence to win?
Narrow eligibility keeps the applicant pool small, so a qualified student has a genuinely realistic shot. These are the awards worth prioritising.
- Estimated odds
- roughly 1 in 2 applicants
- Modelled applicant field
- ~1,000 students
- Awards each cycle
- 8,000
- Payoff per hour of work
- $900 / hr
What drives the odds here
Odds on a scholarship are mostly a question of how many students can enter. Each rule below changes the size of that field.
- Fewer rivalsOpen only to New York residents
- Fewer rivalsOpen to a single grade level only
How Solyo estimates this: We model the applicant field from how narrow the eligibility rules are, then divide the awards available by that field. Requirements such as essays and recommendation letters improve a serious applicant’s odds, because most browsers never complete them. These are estimates derived from each award's published structure, not reported acceptance rates, which almost no scholarship provider discloses. Treat them as a way to rank where the hours go, not as a guarantee.
Who can apply for the NYS Scholarships for Academic Excellence?
These are the eligibility rules Solyo verified against the official award page, translated into plain English. Your student must meet each one.
- Must be a resident of New York
- Open to high school seniors
- Scholarships are designated by your high school based on Regents examination performance. There is no open application to submit.
- Must attend a college or university in New York State to use the award.
What the application takes
No essay, recommendation letters, or transcript are required. This is one of the lighter applications in the directory.
Deadline and application cycle
The current deadline is June 30, 2027. This award runs on an annual cycle, with deadlines around June 30 each year. Nothing to submit. Ask your school counsellor how your high school designates its allocation.
- Applications close
- June 30, 2027
Does your student actually qualify?
See if your student qualifies in 30 seconds. Solyo checks 20+ criteria against their real profile: GPA, state, grade level, intended major, and more, across every award in this directory at once.
Common questions about the NYS Scholarships for Academic Excellence
How much is the NYS Scholarships for Academic Excellence worth?
The NYS Scholarships for Academic Excellence awards $1,500/yr (2,000 awards) or $500/yr (6,000 awards) and is renewable in later years. 8,000 awards are made each cycle.
When is the NYS Scholarships for Academic Excellence deadline?
The current deadline is June 30, 2027. This award runs on an annual cycle, with deadlines around June 30 each year. Nothing to submit. Ask your school counsellor how your high school designates its allocation.
Who is eligible for the NYS Scholarships for Academic Excellence?
Key requirements: Must be a resident of New York; Open to high school seniors.
Does the NYS Scholarships for Academic Excellence require an essay?
No essay is required. The application is light on requirements. Expect to spend about 1 hour on it.
How hard is it to win the NYS Scholarships for Academic Excellence?
Solyo estimates the odds at roughly 1 in 2 applicants, against a modelled field of ~1,000 students. The pool stays that size because open only to New York residents and open to a single grade level only. At 1 hr of work, that is about $900 of expected value per hour. This is an estimate from award structure, not a published acceptance rate.
Is the NYS Scholarships for Academic Excellence free to apply?
Yes. The NYS Scholarships for Academic Excellence is free to apply. Legitimate scholarships never charge an application fee, and Solyo verifies every listed award against its official page.
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Lists this award appears on
Award details are curated by Solyo and verified against the official scholarship page. Deadlines and requirements can change between cycles, so always confirm on the provider's site before applying.