Excelsior Scholarship

Q: What are the credit requirements of the Excelsior Scholarship A: Students must be continuously enrolled full- time (Fall and Spring Semester min. 12 credits) and complete thirty (30) credits per year toward their degree, including summer and winter terms, in order to receive the Excelsior Scholarship

Q: Can AP credits that I earned while in high school be counted towards meeting my 30-credit per year requirement? A: Yes. College credits earned while a student in high school can be applied in any manner that results in 30 cumulative credits per year.

Q: Can credits that I earned during a summer or winter term be counted towards meeting my 30-credits per year? A: Yes. Credits earned during a summer or winter term (as well as college credits earned while in high school) will count towards the 30-credit per year requirement

Q: Will the Excelsior Scholarship pay for my summer classes if I attend a summer term to complete my 30 credits? A: No. The Excelsior Scholarship can only be applied to Fall and Spring tuition.

Q: What if I fail to complete the 30-credit requirement? A: If you fail to complete 30 credits over a 365-day period, the Excelsior Scholarship will cover your first term; however, you will be responsible for the tuition liability for your second term. In addition, because you will no longer be on track to complete your degree on time, you will be ineligible for any future award payments.

Q: Can I regain eligibility if I get back on track after failing to complete 30 credits in a prior year? A: No. A student who fails to complete 30 credits in any year is ineligible for any future payments under the Program. However, for extenuating circumstances there is an appeal process

Q: How long can I receive the Excelsior Scholarship? A: Up to 4 years for students pursuing a Bachelor’s degree. Students in an approved undergraduate program of study requiring 5 years are eligible to receive the award for 5 years (ex. Public Accountancy).

Q: If I have an undergraduate degree, can I receive the Excelsior Scholarship to pursue a second undergraduate degree? A: No. You cannot receive the Excelsior Scholarship to pursue a second undergraduate degree.

Q: Do I need a certain grade point average to get or to keep the Excelsior Scholarship? A: There is not a GPA requirement for students to be eligible for the Excelsior Scholarship provided they earn thirty (30) credits over the course of a year, however students will need to maintain a GPA that allows for the successful completion of their degree. Recipients should keep in mind that they may have other awards, which require academic standards that differ from those required for the Excelsior Scholarship.

Q: I am entering my Senior year, are the eligibility requirements different? A: Yes.  During a students senior year, they only have to enroll in twenty-four (24) credits with a minimum of twelve (12) credit hours per semester.  In addition, only 6 credit hours for the first semester of the senior year needs to be degree applicable and only 1 course in the second semester of the senior year needs to be degree applicable.

Q: Can I repeat courses and still be eligible for the Excelsior Scholarship? A: Yes.  You can repeat courses, however each semester you have to be enrolled in at least 12 new credits and you still have to earn 30 new credits hour per year.

Q: Why is the Excelsior Scholarship not applied to my bill? A: There are two answers: Gift aid is equal to or greater than the tuition component of the bill therefore the Excelsior award is 0.For instance, Pell and TAP are applied to the tuition first and if those amounts exceed tuition at the 1617 rate ($6,470) then they would be ineligible for Excelsior.

2. You have not completed all these steps: Apply School then performs an academic review for all students If confirmed student meets eligibility requirements Registrar sends a certification file to HESC. This then prompts the contract. Once contract signed and sent back to HESC, HESC will then send the student's name on file. This is once per week. Once the student's name is on the file we can then load award onto financial aid package.

Academic Advising Services 4th floor Reed Library 716-673-3188 advising@Fredonia.edu