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CUNY scholarships and merit aid

Two prices: the posted one, and yours.

Posted price$6,930per year · 2026-2027 · cost of attendance
Yours?depends on the rules below

The short answer

CUNY may be worth checking, but its awards do not follow a simple grades-and-scores chart. Start with the published scholarships below.

Where does your student land?

Verified Jun 2026
2 school sources to explore

Published rules, with the school sources close at hand. Confirm the details before you count on an award.

The award collection

Published scholarships

These amounts and requirements come from the school’s own published pages. Open an award to see who qualifies and how to keep it.

Where does your student land?

  1. Queens College Scholars ProgramAmount not publishedNot automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Queens College Scholars Program

    Amount not published

    Published award termsNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    Start with the award’s published eligibility.

    RenewableCheck the conditions
  2. Brooklyn College Foundation Presidential ScholarshipFull tuitionNot automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Brooklyn College Foundation Presidential Scholarship

    Full tuition

    Published coverage or packageNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    Start with the award’s published eligibility.

    RenewableCheck the conditions
  3. Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowships$4,500Not automatic
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowships

    $4,500

    Published amountNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    Start with the award’s published eligibility.

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What makes CUNY different

Multiple CUNY colleges offer honors programs and foundation scholarships for high-achieving students across diverse fields.

Merit tiers3See who qualifies
Research checkedJun 2026By our research team

Selection beyond grades and scores

Start with the selection process.

These awards are not recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read each award's selection rules, application steps and dates. Meeting a minimum is not an award offer.

  1. Read the selection rules

    Look for the school's stated criteria and whether an additional application is needed.

  2. Check the application dates

    Confirm the current admission and scholarship deadlines directly with the school.

  3. Know what happens next year

    Check renewal, credit requirements and how other aid affects the award.

The fine print / Three questions to carry forward

Before you count on it.

Does it apply to us? Confirm the entering year, residency and every eligibility condition.

Can we keep it? Check renewal GPA, credits and how long the award lasts.

Can we combine it? Ask how outside scholarships and other school awards change the offer.

Take CUNY's decision sheet

A printable research summary, source links and room for your questions.

See costs and school data

Who this school may work for

Students seeking a rigorous public university experience in New York City with multiple pathways to honors recognition should explore these awards. Competitive applicants with strong academic records across any discipline may find fitting options.

Published yearly cost: Approximately $6,930 for 2026-2027. Source

See other scholarships and cost examples

Other CUNY scholarships worth checking

These awards can be harder to find. Each one has its own rules.

Amount$500EligibilityThe John Jay College Honors Program provides a $500 annual book stipend for four years, a free weekday New York Times subscription, and a travel stipend to present honors research at a national conference.

Source

AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityStudents in the Medgar Evers College Honors Program receive awards covering the cost of all books and materials required to support student learning in honors courses and/or activities.

Source

AmountUp to $10,000EligibilityStudents in the City College Honors Program receive consideration for CCNY scholarships of up to $10,000 per year for four years.

Source

See sources and other schools

How CUNY compares

  • 665 of 749 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.

    CUNY is one of them. The cohort minority (84 schools) only awards one-year scholarships, which means the four-year value families assume on a brochure quote isn't guaranteed at every school.

Sources used on this page

Every claim is checked against CUNY’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.

Compare with similar schools

The next chapter

Where does CUNY fit in your plan?

You have the school’s rules. Now put them in the context of your student and the rest of your list.

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An illustrative student profile, with a school order, scholarship research and a to-do list. Open the sample to see how it works.

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