The NYS Math & Science Teaching Incentive Scholarship provides grants to eligible full-time undergraduate or graduate students in approved programs that encourage students to pursue careers as secondary math and science teachers (grades 7-12) in New York State. HESC's regulations governing the NYS Math and Science Teaching Incentive Program prohibit applicants owing a service obligation to any other State or Federal program from receiving a Program award. As such, an applicant who owes or will owe a service obligation under TEACH would be disqualified from eligibility for an award under the NYS Math and Science Teaching Incentive Program.

Disbursement of Scholarship Funds

Awards are paid directly to schools on behalf of students upon the successful completion of each academic year. The NYS Math & Science Teaching Incentive Scholarship recipient must complete the academic year and have earned at least 27 credits prior to receiving payment. Schools must complete and certify student eligibility for this scholarship for all applicable terms and they must receive a Remittance Advice (authorizing payment) prior to disbursing the scholarship funds.

Eligibility

Successful completion mandates that the applicant meet the following eligibility requirements (all eligibility requirements are the same for both undergraduate and graduate students):
  • Full-time attendance * Students must be enrolled as a full-time student taking 12 or more credits per semester.
  • Have earned 27 credit hours or the equivalent in a course of study leading to a secondary education degree in the fields of math or science. Summer or winter credits may be used to obtain the 27 total credits for the academic year but may not be combined with fall or spring credits to achieve the minimum 12 credits for full time status. (The academic year begins with the summer term - example 2008-09 academic year would begin approximately May 2008).
  • Have a minimum GPA of 2.5 for the academic year.
  • Have a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher for all academic years of undergraduate and graduate study.
  • Be U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen.
  • Be attending a college located in New York State.
  • Have met Pursuit of Program and Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements.

* Applicants may attend less than full time during their last term if a less than full-time course load is sufficient for them to complete their degrees. This is true for the last term of both undergraduate and/or graduate study.

Award Amounts

Recipients shall receive an annual payment equal to the average SUNY tuition or actual tuition, whichever is less.

Duration

Recipients may receive award payments for up to four academic years of full-time undergraduate study and one academic year of full-time graduate study.

Certification

When certifying a recipient’s award the “CERT CODE” and “STATUS” components MUST be completed.

Cert Code:
Indicate appropriate certification code. Refer to the Consolidated Scholarship Roster (CSR) certification instructions and use certification codes 1-9 as indicated.

Status Field:
The number of credits the student has completed for the semester must be indicated in the Status Field. The student’s eligibility cannot be determined by HESC without the total credits for that semester listed on the roster.

A statutory provision requires each student to earn at least 27 credit hours, or the equivalent, each year, in a course of study leading to a secondary education degree in the fields of math or science. To accommodate this requirement the certifying officer must record, in the STATUS field of the CSR, the number of credit hours completed by the student for that term. In cases where the student attended a summer term, add the number of summer and fall earned credits together and record the total in the fall status field. If the semester that is being certified is the student's final semester it should be noted on the roster next to the student's credits under STATUS.

Tuition & Mandatory Fees:
Enter actual term amount.

Other Aid:
Enter all other grants & scholarships received for the term with the exception of TAP, HESC Scholarships or Loans.

Title IV Cost of Attendance:
Enter total term amount Title IV Cost of Attendance used in the administration of the FFEL program.

Certification of each document by the TAP Certifying Officer is required using the Affirmation section on the bottom of the CSR. Certification of student eligibility for students on the CSR should be returned to New York State Higher Education Services Corp. no later than 30 days from the date of the roster. Request required post-certification changes via e-mail to jdefazio@hesc.org.

Refer questions regarding Math & Science certification to Denise Eades at 1-888-697-4372 or deades@hesc.org.

Terms of Payment

Semester-based schools will be paid awards for fall and spring terms. Trimester-based schools will be paid awards for fall, winter and spring terms. Although there is no provision for NYS Math & Science Teaching Incentive Scholarships to pay summer awards, credits earned during summer study may be used toward the 27 earned credit hour requirement.

Payment

New York State Math & Science Teaching Incentive Scholarships payments for student(s) on the CSR will be sent to the school upon the successful completion of each academic year. NOTE: Schools have the discretion to either refund the money to the student if they are no longer in attendance, or apply it to their next semester’s bill if they have not completed their degree. To expedite payment, complete and return the certification of all terms to HESC simultaneously. Electronic Fund Transfers (EFT) or checks will be made payable to the college for the total value of the awards on the list. If it is determined that a student on the CSR is not eligible for an award, an amount equal to the award must be refunded within 30 days of the receipt of payment. Please return any refund checks to:

HESC
TAP Cashiers Unit 14th Floor
99 Washington Avenue
Albany, NY 12255