CUNY, SUNY, and community colleges and the statutory colleges at Cornell University and Alfred University

Traditional-aged students are post-secondary students under 25 years old who enroll directly from high school; non-traditional students are typically 25 years of age or older, who may have delayed post-secondary education enrollment, are financially independent of parents, work full-time, and/or have dependents other than spouse; special populations refers to students who must overcome barriers that may require special consideration and attention to ensure equal opportunity for success and in an educational setting.

Other

No distinction is made between traditional or non–traditional students

Geographical range of eligible students: all local students, all statewide students, all students nationally.

Statewide

First-dollar programs provide tuition assistance regardless of federal financial aid. Last-dollar programs provide tuition assistance after considering federal financial aid (e.g., Pell Grant). Plus programs provide some kind of monetary support for expenses other than tuition.

Last Dollar

Bachelor

One year = two semesters; Two years (Associate Degree) = four semesters. A Promise that may go up to a Bachelor's degree level will be 4+

120 credits semester(s)

State

None

CSA programs often have specific names such as "College Kick Start" so be sure to check any college savings accounts you have to see if they are CSAs.

No

Yes

Full-Time

Must be a U.S. Citizen or eligible non-citizen, be a U.S high school graduate or equivlent, have a combined federal adjusted gross income of $125,000 or less, be enrolled in at least 12 credits per term and complete at least 30 credits each year (successively), and be applicable toward his or her degree program through continuous study. This is targeted towards students from families with adjusted gross income of $125,000 or less

Targeted towards students from families with adjusted gross income of $125,000 or less

No

Full-time status is defined as 12 or 15 credits per semester (24 or 30 per year). Part-time is less than those levels.

25 credit hours per year (5 years to complete bachelors degree)

While in college, what GPA do you need to keep the Promise? (Satisfactory Academic Progress, or SAP, is usually 2.0)

None

Yes, Yes - students must live and work in New York for the same amount of time the scholarship was received. Failure to do so will result in the value of the award being converted to a zero-interest loan.