The following resources have been made available to you in order to expedite having your questions answered!
Q: Where is my NYS Excelsior Scholarship?
- New/First time Excelsior recipient for fall 2018
- Make sure you have completed the 2018-19 FAFSA.
- Make sure you signed the Excelsior Scholarship contract. This contract is emailed to you by HESC. Contact HESC with questions.
- Please note, it takes up to seven days from signing the contract until the award shows on your account.
Returning Excelsior Recipients (Received award in 2017-18)
- Make sure you have completed the 2018-19 FAFSA.
Make sure you have completed the NYS Student Aid Payment Application. - Excelsior guidelines are complex and require you meet academic and other criteria. Please review the Excelsior Scholarship eligibility requirements.
- Go to HESC to check the status of your application or for additional information.
Q: Where is my NYS TAP Grant?
- Verify that you have completed the TAP application.
- Make sure the SUNY Potsdam school code 2850 is on the application.
- Make sure you have signed up for at least 12 degree applicable credits.
- We receive TAP updates weekly. If your application was recently approved, check your student account on Friday.
Q: I was selected for verification, what does that mean?
The United States Department of Education may select you for verification of your FAFSA. Verification confirms the accuracy of income and other items reported on your FAFSA.
- Log-in to your BearPAWS account and select the Financial Aid link from the Student Services and Financial Aid tab. Select the Eligibility tab to view a list of outstanding documents.
- Visit our Forms page if you are looking for a specific resource.
- Once you have submitted all documents, please allow 2-3 weeks for a counselor to review your records. We will contact you if we are in need of additional information.
- Please note, financial aid awards including: Pell, SEOG, Direct Loans, and NYS Excelsior Scholarship will not be reflected on your bill until the verification review is completed by a financial aid counselor.
- Helpful hint and time saver: You can update your FAFSA using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (DRT). This is an automated way to securely transfer your income information from the IRS to the FAFSA. Please take advantage of this resource as it streamlines the verification process.
Q: Am I able to appeal the fees listed on my bill?
Comprehensive fees are mandatory for all students. The Alumni Fee and The Springfest Endowment gift are optional fees. Students may opt out of these fees through their BearPAWS account within 30-days of the start of each academic term.