New York’s Excelsior Scholarship: Funding and Frustration Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic
Words by Ruth Martinez
Graphics by Aspasia Celia Tsampas
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact nearly every aspect of college life, students across the country find themselves worrying about potential impacts to their financial aid. This concern has been amplified by the recent announcement of drawbacks to the Excelsior Scholarship, which nearly 30,000 CUNY and SUNY students have received. The New York State Higher Education Services website announced that the Excelsior scholarship “may have to be reduced and/or prioritized for current recipients,” and that the processing of new applications is pending. This decision impacts both current and prospective students.
The Excelsior Scholarship, which launched in 2017 under Governor Andrew Cuomo, covers the full cost of tuition for both two- and four-year programs after other financial aid has been applied. New York State residents with a household income of less than $125,000 per year, while also fulfilling the other qualifications, are eligible. The pandemic has created a tight budget situation for scholarship and grant awards across the SUNY and CUNY systems, which rely on public funding in order to be distributed normally.
A reduction of Excelsior Scholarship funding would place students who currently receive the grant in difficult financial situations, including some fellow City College students. Bintou Soumaoro, a biology student at City College, says she hopes the scholarship is not cut, commenting on the help it has provided her and many other students who are in more dire circumstances. As a recipient of the scholarship, Soumaoro says it allows her to focus more on her grades and academics instead of worrying about having to work to pay tuition. “The Excelsior Scholarship has allowed me to have access to the education I needed and wanted,” she says. For Soumaoro, the scholarship covers 95% of her tuition.
The budget constraint also presents a difficulty for students from low-income families whose situations have been exacerbated by the ongoing pandemic. Ashley Escobar, a junior studying psychology and a first-generation college student, expressed her gratitude for the scholarship and how it has assisted her in paying for school supplies. Escobar touched upon the indirect costs of college, which are often forgotten about in the larger conversation about accessibility. She also remarks on the potential impact of an Excelsior drawback on her ability to afford tuition. “Students like me who don’t get any other financial support will struggle to pay tuition and other materials needed for school,” she says. “Our parents don’t make a lot, especially with not all jobs being open during this pandemic.”
The ongoing threat to Excelsior Scholarship funding is part of a larger conversation about college accessibility and affordability. For years, the debate about free college and education has been circulating in the political sphere, with many people citing issues with accessibility to higher education for low-income families. This is especially true for students of color, who comprise the majority of CUNY schools. The debate also relates to the student loan crisis, which the Excelsior scholarship aims to tackle across New York State. As the scholarship is put on pause due to lack of federal funding, students will have to continue to navigate their academic life amidst the pandemic and other ongoing issues.
