NYS Child Welfare Worker Incentive Scholarship
New York State Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC)
Covers college costs for staff of NY nonprofit child welfare agencies who commit to 5 more years of service
- How much
- Up to SUNY average cost of attendance (undergrad or grad); up to $20,000 per year for graduate study at a private college
- Who qualifies
- Employee (2+ years) of an OCFS-licensed voluntary not-for-profit child welfare agency in NYS
- Five-year full-time direct-care child welfare work and NYS residence commitment.
- For undergrads, grad students, adults going back to school
- For criminal justice, human services, mental health counseling students
- U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen
- When to apply
- Opens later HESC opens an application window when funding is available; no current dates published
- How to apply
- Complete the FAFSA and TAP application (or NYS DREAM Act application), then the HESC application when the program is open
- What you'll need
- FAFSA + state application
- Last checked
- October 5, 2026, against the official page (hesc.ny.gov)
The details
Undergraduate: cost of attendance up to the average SUNY state-operated resident undergraduate cost of attendance. Graduate at SUNY/CUNY: up to the average SUNY graduate cost of attendance. Graduate at a private college: up to $20,000 a year. For employees with at least two years at a licensed voluntary not-for-profit child welfare agency in NYS, studying criminal justice, human services, mental health counseling, psychology, public health, social services, social work or sociology, full- or part-time. Recipients must work full-time in direct care at such an agency and live in NYS for five years.
More money from New York
- Enhanced Tuition Award (ETA)Up to $6,000 for tuition expenses
- Tuition Assistance Program (TAP)$1,000 to $5,665
- NYS Scholarships for Academic Excellence$500 or $1,500 per year
- Excelsior ScholarshipCovers tuition at SUNY/CUNY (last-dollar, after other aid)
- Non-degree Part-Time Tuition Assistance Program (TAP)Prorated TAP award based on credits and actual tuition
Keep looking
- Answer a few questions to see every program you qualify for
- Nearby states: Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Vermont
- Federal aid and national scholarships (open to students in any state)
- The FAFSA in plain English (2027-28)
- Should I file the FAFSA if I don't think I'll qualify?
- FAFSA deadlines by state (2027-28)
- The FAFSA for parents: what you need to do
- How to save on textbooks: free, rented and cheaper options
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