New York State Financial Aid Programs

New York State financial aid programs are administered by the New York State Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC), a New York State government entity.

HESC has a Military Corner  that provides resources for veterans to learn about financial aid opportunities in New York State. New York State has veteran-specific financial aid awards. Some of these awards are available to service members or to the dependents/spouse of a service member. We strongly encourage every veteran or dependent/spouse of a veteran to review the information on the HESC Military Corner.

New York State financial aid programs specific to veterans and/or their dependent/spouse are:

• Veterans Tuition Awards (VTA) (for veterans; available for undergraduate and graduate study)
• Military Enhanced Recognition Incentive and Tribute—MERIT Scholarship, also known as Military Service Recognition Scholarship (MSRS) (for dependents of a veteran)
• New York State Regents Awards for Children of Deceased and Disabled Veterans (for dependents of a veteran)
• Recruitment Incentive and Retention Program (RIRP) (for service members)
• New York Army National Guard (ARNG) Federal Tuition Assistance (FTA) (for service members)

NOTE: VTA cannot be used with other financial aid programs that are earmarked exclusively for tuition costs. Therefore, VTA cannot be used by a student veteran who is receiving 100 percent of the Post-9/11 GI Bill, which would cover their full tuition at York. However, a student veteran receiving a partial Post-9/11 GI bill payment may be able to receive a partial VTA award. VTA and the Montgomery GI Bill however, can be used simultaneously. VTA may be used for undergraduate or graduate study. VTA requires that all of the courses you take be applicable toward your program of study.