Applications are being accepted for the Excelsior Scholarship, which pays for tuition at SUNY schools to middle class families making less than $110,000 per year.

The 2018-19 application, which is available now, is open to students first entering college in the fall 2018 term and current college students who have never applied for the grant. Current Excelsior Scholarship recipients should not complete this application. For students who first received an award in fall 2017 or after, no additional action is needed for 2018-19.

To be eligible, students must be New York State residents, plan to attend a SUNY or CUNY two- or four-year college, take 30 credits per year (including Summer and Winter sessions), and be on track to graduate on time with an Associate's Degree in two years or a Bachelor's Degree in four years. For the 2018-19 academic year, household federal adjusted gross income can total up to $110,000 to be eligible. In 2019-20 and beyond, New York State families can earn up to $125,000. Recipients must also plan to live in New York State for the length of time they received the award.

Approximately 53 percent of full-time SUNY and CUNY in-state students, and more than 210,000 New York residents, now attend school tuition-free thanks to the addition of students receiving the Excelsior Scholarship.

To apply, students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, the NYS Tuition Assistance Program application, if applicable, and the Excelsior Scholarship application at hesc.ny.gov/excelsior.

Applications will be accepted through Monday, July 23.