Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships
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How to Apply
Students interested in receiving financial assistance, with the exception of graduate assistantships, graduate tuition scholarships, graduate fellowships, and merit-based scholarships, must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). It is highly recommended that all students complete the FAFSA as soon as possible each year. Timely completion of the FAFSA, which is available starting October 1 each year, will ensure that aid eligibility is maximized and any problems can be resolved without delaying the arrival of funds. In order to receive priority consideration and maintain eligibility for need-based grants and scholarships, a processed FAFSA must be received by the Financial Aid Office no later than March 1 each year. The school code for SUNY ESF is 002851.
Paper versions of the FAFSA are available for download at https://studentaid.gov/apply-for-aid/fafsa/filling-out.
Students completing the FAFSA online (recommended) will need an FSA ID in order to access the application and provide electronic signatures. Parents of dependent students will also need an FSA ID in order to sign the student's FAFSA. New or forgotten FSA IDs can be requested at https://studentaid.gov/fsa-id/sign-in/landing.
While completing the FAFSA, your consent will automatically import your tax data directly from the IRS into your application.. Students and parent contributors should only enter tax data manually if the import process is not successful. Tax information reported should be from the "prior-prior year" (ex. 2023 tax year data when applying for the 2025-2026 school year, 2024 tax year data when applying for the 2026-2027 school year, etc.).
Students interested in receiving financial assistance for the summer must complete the separate SUNY ESF Summer Aid Application.
| Application | Deadlines |
|---|---|
|
Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) |
October 1 - Application Available March 1 - Priority Deadline Last Day of Enrollment Each Year - Final Deadline June 30 - Official Federal Application Close |
|
New York State Grants and Scholarships |
October 1 - Application Available May 1 (Following Year) - Final Deadline |
New York State Tuition Assistance Program (TAP)
New York State residents are encouraged to apply for state grants and scholarships, including the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP), Excelsior Scholarship, STEM Incentive Grant, and others. The Express TAP Application (also known as the Application for Payment of New York State Grants and Scholarships) is required annually for determination of TAP Grant eligibility. It must also be completed for other state awards, which require separate applications, to be awarded and paid. Students who are New York State residents and list a New York State school while completing the FAFSA will be given the opportunity to complete an online TAP Application by clicking on the link which appears on the FAFSA Submission Confirmation Page. The online application may also be accessed at https://www.tap.hesc.ny.gov/totw/.
Eligibility for TAP and other New York State grants and scholarships is determined by the New York State Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC). Students interested in applying for NY grants and scholarships other than TAP should be sure to complete each separate application in addition to the TAP application.
The SUNY ESF School Code for state aid applications is 0950. If searching for ESF use "SUC En" as the criteria. Students will be asked to provide a college issued ID number when completing the applications. If known at the time of application, students should enter their ESF Banner ID, which begins with "F". If not known, this step can be skipped with no ID entered.
Graduate Student Assistantships
Assistantships and tuition scholarships for graduate students are not awarded by the Financial Aid Office. Students interested in these forms of financial assistance should contact the Graduate School.
Verification of Information
All students who request financial assistance may be required to submit information about their and/or their family's personal financial situation prior to aid disbursement. The College may request copies of parents' and/or students' federal tax transcripts, along with other statements which will be used to verify other sources of income, family size, number of dependents in college, and other pertinent information.
Requests for verification information are authorized by the FAFSA signature process. Failure to comply with a request to verify pertinent information will result in the cancellation of any aid offered, and the possibility of legal action being taken by the U.S. Department of Education.