QUALITYstarsNY
Academic Scholarship

To be eligible for the QUALITYstarsNY Academic Scholarship, you must:

• Be working 20 or more hours per week in a participating QUALITYstarsNY program in a teaching or leadership role
• Be a full-time or part-time student taking coursework in early childhood education at a CUNY or SUNY college. Proof of admission or enrollment will be required for applicants.
• If eligible for Educational Incentive Program (EIP) funding, the use of EIP funding is required during the calendar year.
• Have an active, current Aspire Registry ID number and profile
• Be in good standing with the Career Center (i.e., if you are currently a Career Center client, be up to date with required meetings, grade submissions, etc)
• Be prepared to meet with a Career Center advisor three times per semester
• Report your grades to the Career Center
• Have been continuously employed for at least 12 months at a QUALITYstarsNY program.^*

Yes. For students who are certified in childhood or secondary education and seeking certification in early childhood education (ECE), the ECE extension cost for additional coursework and exam(s) will be covered.

Yes. You will need to work closely with your Early Childhood Career Development Center advisor for guidance on all questions and to confirm your enrollment. Failure to confirm enrollment by the start of the semester will result in a forfeit of funds.

Yes, if you live out of state but are employed at a participating QUALITYstarsNY program and attend a CUNY or SUNY college, you are eligible for funding. The QUALITYstarsNY scholarship will fund the CUNY/SUNY tuition rate. If your tuition is higher as an out-of-state student, you are responsible for the difference between the CUNY/SUNY tuition rate and the out-of-state rate.

Yes. Full-time and part-time students are both eligible for funding.

No, staff other than program leaders and teaching staff are not eligible for funding. The role the applicant has listed as their current position in their profile in The Aspire Registry is used to determine eligibility for teachers and program leaders. Position titles that are not eligible for the scholarship include Non-Teaching Staff, PreK Teacher Aide, School Age Care/Afterschool Provider, Student Teacher, Substitute Teacher, and Teacher Aide.

The deadline to submit the application is Saturday, June 7, 2025 at 11:59 PM .

It should take you about 15-20 minutes to complete the application.

You must know your current, active Aspire Registry ID. If available, you should also be prepared to upload your proof of enrollment (such as an e-bill or transcript) and estimated tuition costs (such as an e-bill or screenshot of invoice).

Yes, you can apply for the scholarship if you meet the eligibility criteria. However, all applicants that are not yet working with a career advisor at the Career Development Center will have to meet with an advisor as part of the application process. Please submit your application before scheduling a meeting with an advisor. If you apply for the QUALITYstarsNY Academic Scholarship but have never worked with the Career Development Center, you'll receive an email after you submit your application with instructions about how to schedule a meeting with your regional advisor. You should schedule that meeting as soon as possible. If you are contacted by a career advisor during the application process, you must respond and attend the meeting with the advisor to be considered for QUALITYstarsNY Academic Scholarship funding.

Yes, you will be able to save your application progress and return to complete it at another time. You must submit your completed application by the deadline to be considered.

Your Quality Improvement Specialist will confirm your status in QUALITYstarsNY as part of the review process. A Career Center advisor will review your application to determine your eligibility. If you are determined to be eligible for funding, all applications will be reviewed through a competitive selection process using a rubric that takes a range of criteria into account.

Exceptions will not be made for late submissions. However, you can apply for future semesters when a new application opens. Participants are eligible to receive funding for a maximum of two semesters in a calendar year (beginning with the start of the summer semester).

You will be notified about the status of your application by the end of June 2025. You must confirm your enrollment by the beginning of the semester, or you will forfeit your funding.

Due to the limited funds, decisions are final.

Yes! Your advisor can help you explore available funding opportunities and options.

If you do not receive funding for this semester, you may reapply for future semesters. You must submit a new application when it becomes available. The scholarship is contingent upon available funds from our funders. We encourage applicants to discuss future funding opportunities for each semester with their career advisor. Participants are eligible to receive funding for a maximum of two semesters in a calendar year (beginning with the start of the summer semester).

No. The QUALITYstarsNY Academic Scholarship evaluates all applications each semester. Funding in one semester does not guarantee funding in future semesters.

Coverage is determined by budget availability, demonstration of acceptable grades and meeting the requirement of the scholarship program. The maximum coverage is one course (or equivalent up to four credits) per semester (two courses per year). All approvals are at the discretion of available funding.

A QUALITYstarsNY Academic Scholarship can be used at non-CUNY or SUNY schools only under unique circumstances, which include:

• A student who was previously a QUALITYScholars or QUALITYstarsNY Scholarship awardee and still needs to complete their degree
• A student who is attending a Tribal college
• A student undergoing the review process. Requests will be declined for programs similar to existing CUNY and SUNY programs.

No. Fees for books relevant to the coursework are not covered.

No. Bursar holds and prior bills will not be covered.

If you work in a participating QUALITYstarsNY program, QUALITYstarsNY may cover international transcript evaluation and translation, but not through the QUALITYstarsNY Academic Scholarship. You must apply separately using the workforce scholarship application. Applications will continue to be reviewed on a rolling basis until funds are exhausted.

If you work in a participating QUALITYstarsNY program, QUALITYstarsNY may cover your early childhood education teacher exam fees, but not through the QUALITYstarsNY Academic Scholarship. You must apply separately using the workforce scholarship application. Applications will continue to be reviewed on a rolling basis until funds are exhausted. Exam fees for subjects outside early childhood education (such as School Building Leadership or all grades literacy) are not covered.

No, the QUALITYstarsNY Academic Scholarship does not cover application fees.

No. The QUALITYstarsNY Academic Scholarship is for credit-bearing coursework. Workshop fees are not covered.

The QUALITYstarsNY Academic Scholarship does not fund doctoral candidates at this time.

Applicants attending Tribal colleges will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. We want to ensure that all participants' needs are met and that colleges meet QUALITYstarsNY requirements and NYS Higher Education standards, including that the college is accredited.

• Early childhood
• Programs leading to early childhood teacher certification in New York
• Infant-toddler development
• Credit-bear Child Development Associate (CDA)
• Early childhood special education
• Early childhood bilingual education
• Children's Program Administrator Credential (CPAC)
• Early childhood business management
• Early childhood/childhood dual teacher certification

You must meet with your Career Center advisor between Month DD, YYYY and Month DD, YYYY, to accept your conditionally awarded scholarship. Your school will be notified after you meet with your advisor.

QUALITYstarsNY Academic Scholarship recipients are required to meet with advisors at least three times per semester. Participants who fail to meet this requirement may have their scholarship suspended.

Yes. Failure to do so will result in a denial of future funds.

If you change or drop the course your scholarship was awarded to fund, you are required to report the change to your Career Development Center career advisor as soon as possible. Drops are only defined as class changes or removal from enrollment with zero financial liability prior to the start of the term. Failure to report the change or drop will result in suspension from funds for up to 12 months.

QUALITYstarsNY Academic Scholarship funds cover courses even if you fail, but you will not be eligible for additional funds the following semester. Students who fail, drop or withdraw from courses will become eligible for funds again in 12 months.

You can initially connect with your career advisor, who can share the payment status of your account. QUALITYstarsNY cannot cover the balance of your tuition until we receive an invoice from your school. You can expect your campus to invoice QUALITYstarsNY after the last drop/withdraw date of classes. Please expect 6-8 weeks for payment to your institution after your institution invoices QUALITYstarsNY. Your college bursar account will continue to show a balance until the account is paid.