Scholarship Programs

SUNY Plattsburgh provides more than $4 million in scholarships and grants to undergraduate students, funded by the college or foundation. Unless otherwise specified, the following programs are only available to undergraduate students enrolled in a degree program and pursuing their first bachelor’s degree.

Scholarships are financial support based on academic merit or other criteria defined by the donor. Sometimes called “gift aid,” scholarships usually do not have to be repaid. Qualifications often must be met for a recipient to receive a scholarship offer and, if renewable, renew the award. In more recent years a few scholarship awards have been established with post-college expectations that if not met, convert the distributed funds to a loan that must be repaid. An example of this is the NYS Excelsior Scholarship. If a recipient of excelsior funding does not meet the post-college expectations agreed to in the signed contract, the funding can convert to a zero-interest loan.

First-Year Student Scholarships & Grants

Name	Award Range	Criteria & Eligibility
North Country Scholarship or Grant	$3,500 or $1,500	Visit North Country for more information.
Cardinal NYC Scholarship or Grant	$3,500 or $1,500	Visit Cardinal NYC for more information.
Cardinal Scholarship and Cardinal Grant	$3,500 or $1,500	Visit Other Regions for more information.
Welcome to New York Grant	$11,500	Visit Welcome to New York Grant for more information.
Cardinal Nursing Scholarship	$1,500	Beginning Fall 2024, the Cardinal Nursing Scholarship is available to eligible first-year students who are accepted into the Bachelor of Science Nursing Program.
Cardinal EOP Grant	$1,500	Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) awards are available to first-year students who are accepted into the EOP program based upon an economic and academic disadvantaged status.
NYS Scholarships	Varies	NYS offers scholarships. Visit HESC on the web for more information.

Transfer Scholarships & Grants

Name	Award Range	Criteria & Eligibility
Transfer Scholarship or Grant	$1,000 to $2,000	Visit Transfer Scholarships and Grants for more information.
Welcome to New York Grant	$11,500	Visit Welcome to New York Grant for more information.
NYS Scholarships	Varies	NYS offers scholarships. Visit HESC on the web for more information.

Other Scholarships

Name	Award Range	Criteria & Eligibility
Heisler Music	Varies	Recipients of the Heisler Music Scholarship are chosen for their performance proficiency and their potential to contribute to the music program.
Winkel Art	Varies	Recipients of the Winkel Art Scholarship are chosen for their potential to contribute to the art program.
Departmental	Varies	Many academic departments offer scholarships to enrolled students who have demonstrated academic excellence in their major. View listing of departmental scholarships.

NOTE: NCAA Division III Bylaws prohibit the awarding of financial awards, grants and scholarships to intercollegiate student-athletes on the basis of athletic participation, leadership, ability or performance. As a result, eligibility for scholarships will be assessed without the consideration of athletic participation, leadership, ability or performance.

NYS Excelsior Scholarship

The NYS Excelsior Scholarship can help students to attend SUNY Plattsburgh tuition-free. It covers any remaining tuition liability after the NYS TAP Grant, federal Pell Grant, and other sources of grants and scholarships. Funding for the program is contingent on support in the NYS executive budget.

The Excelsior Scholarship program pays for tuition only. Other educational costs are not covered by this scholarship: housing, meals, fees, books and supplies and transportation.

In order to be eligible, students must satisfy basic eligibility criteria for NYS aid programs including household adjusted gross income limitations, remain on pace to graduate in four years, and sign a service contract to work or remain in NYS after graduation.

GET EXCELSIOR NOTIFICATIONS Learn about availability, criteria and the application process.