Grants and Scholarships

Grants and scholarships are exceptional ways to finance your education because unlike loans they provide funding that doesn’t have to be repaid, and does not accrue interest.

There are many grant and scholarship opportunities available for dedicated students of academic merit. They generally fall into 3 categories: state, federal, and institutional. They typically require a substantial research and application process. However, the financial rewards of grants and scholarships more than make up for the extra work you will put into completing them.

Below are general descriptions of several types of state and federal grants and scholarships, most of which are available to both undergraduate and graduate students. A list of scholarships for students pursuing a graduate degree or certificate, including employee scholarships granted through corporate entities, follows the general list. For additional information or application forms for specific grants and scholarships you’re interested in, contact us.

Note: This list is not at all exhaustive. There are thousands of grants and scholarships that you may qualify for, athletic or minority, for example. You can search for them at sites such as FastWeb.com or on the College Board’s scholarship database.

Federal Grants

There are two primary federally funded grants which you may be eligible for: Pell and Seog. Both grants are need-based and will be automatically awarded once you have completed the FAFSA, and demonstrate financial eligibility. Learn more about FAFSA in Applying for Aid.

State Grants and Scholarships

There are three primary New York State grant and scholarship programs available to New York State residents attending a school within New York:

• New York State's Tuition Assistance Program (TAP): need-based funding that requires you to submit a separate TAP application. Depending on the academic year in which you begin study, an annual TAP award can be up to $5,000. Graduate students must enroll for 12 credits to quaify for TAP.
• Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP): you must be accepted to the HEOP program at the time of admission to NYU-Poly to receive the funding and academic support HEOP awards.
• Merit Scholarship. The Merit Scholarship is automatically awarded based upon meeting NYS requirements.

Military Veterans Scholarship

NYU-Poly participates in the U.S. government’s Post 9/11 GI Bill, which offers veterans who have served on or after September 11, 2001 the chance to pursue higher (undergraduate and graduate) education with the support of scholarships, stipends, and other benefits. The program includes the Yellow Ribbon Program, a tuition-remission matching program. If you would like to find out more information about this Military Veterans Scholarship opportunity and see if you qualify, contact our Veteran’s Representative: Abhyuday Uday Pai, or visit the Department of Veterans Affairs web site.

NYU-Poly Promise Scholarships

Amount: Up to $24,000
To be considered for a Promise Scholarship, you must submit the items listed below as part of your application to the school. You are not required to submit an additional application to be considered for a Promise Scholarship.
Required Documents:

• Transcripts
• SAT/ACT/TOEFL exam scores
• 2 letters of recommendation
• Personal Essay
• NYU-Poly also recommends scheduling an interview

Othmer Honors Program Scholarships

Amount: $20,000 to $30,000
The Othmer Honors Program at NYU-Poly is dedicated to enriching the education of the school’s most outstanding students. After students have gained admission into NYU-Poly and received a Promise Scholarship evaluation, the Honors Program will review their materials. The Honors Program will contact those students it would like to interview. Students admitted to the Honors Program will be awarded a scholarship.

NYU-Poly FIRST Scholarship

Amount: $10,000
The FIRST Scholarship program considers high school juniors and seniors who have participated on a FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) or FIRST Vex Challenge (FVC) team.

NYU-Poly Phi Theta Kappa Transfer Scholarship

Amount: $15,000
The PTK Transfer Scholarship is awarded to Phi Theta Kappa members with high academic marks who transfer to NYU-Poly from any community college.

NYU-Poly Need-Based Grant

Amount: Up to $22,000
NYU-Poly’s need-based grants are based on family income, and determined after a student has filed their FAFSA. The NYU-Poly grant was instituted to narrow the gap between federal and state financial aid and the cost of education for middle-income families. Outside scholarship awards may affect the amount of grant support for which a student is eligible.

Graduate and Certificate Program Scholarships

Graduate Center Scholarships

The Graduate Center awards merit-based scholarships and assistantships. Students are considered during their application evaluation period, so you don’t need to submit additional documents to be considered. If you aren’t awarded a Graduate Center Scholarship for your first semester of study, you can apply at the beginning of another semester. In order to qualify for a scholarship, you must obtain a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher.

Alumni Scholarship

Students who graduated Polytechnic with an undergraduate or graduate degree are eligible for an alumni scholarship of 10%.

Alumni Graduate Certificate and Program Concentration Scholarship

Students who graduated with a master’s or doctorate degree and wish to purse an additional graduate certificate (15 credits) or concentration (6-15 credits), are eligible for a 50% tuition scholarship.

Corporate Education Partnership Scholarships

Employees of organizations affiliated with the following are eligible for tuition reductions ranging from 10% to 50%. You must provide proof of employment from a supervisory level to qualify, and for most corporate scholarships, you must also make satisfactory academic progress.

MTA

Who’s eligible: Full-time MTA employees. Under this program, tuition is assessed in accordance with the MTA’s tuition reimbursement maximums.

NYC Board of Education

Who’s eligible: Full-time teacher/faculty ranked employees

Mayor’s Scholarship

Who’s eligible: City employees. You can find more information at the Mayor's Scholarship web site.

New York Power Authority

Who’s eligible: Full-time NYPA employees
Tuition reduction rate: 20%

Verizon

Who’s eligible: Full-time Verizon employees
Tuition reduction rate: 20%

Crossfire Consulting

Who’s eligible: Full-time Crossfire employees
Tuition reduction rate: 25%

Orange and Rockland Utilities

Who’s eligible: Full-time Orange and Rockland employees
Tuition reduction rate: 10%

Central Hudson Gas and Electric

Who’s eligible: Full-time Central Hudson Gas and Electric employees
Tuition reduction rate: 20%

O’DEA Lynch Abbattista Consulting Engineers

Who’s eligible: Full-time O’DEA Lynch Abbattista employees
Tuition reduction rate: 20%

Important note: Some corporate discounts cannot be combined with a Graduate Tuition Fellowship or Tuition Award.

National Scholarships and Awards

There are many scholarships and awards available at the national level for women, ethnic minorities, veterans, and other groups.  Here is a list of some scholarship opportunities that NYU-Poly's graduate center is involved with directly:

Lemelson Scholarship for Part-time Students

This scholarship is for working professionals pursuing a graduate degree. Tuition reduction is based on academic performance.  To qualify, you must be (1) a US citizen or permanent resident; (2) working full-time or part-time; (3) enrolled for at least 6 credits per semester; (4) make satisfactory academic progress, and (5) demonstrate financial need. Contact Lisa Ann Bellantuono to see if you are eligible for this scholarship.

Cybersecurity Scholarship

Scholarship for Service (SFS) is for graduate students who wish to pursue an education in cybersecurity.  This scholarship covers full tuition with the agreement that you will work for 2 years at a federal agency upon graduating. To be eligible you must be (1) a U.S. citizen; (2) a graduate student 2 years from graduation; (3) a full-time student; and (4) maintain a 3.5 GPA while in the program.