Scholarship Aids 9/11 Victims' and Heroes' Families

ALBANY, NY (09/10/2009)(readMedia)-- As New Yorkers remember the victims and heroes of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the State is reminding their families that scholarships are available to help them pay for college.

"We will never forget the sacrifices made by the heroes and victims of the terrorist attacks eight years ago," said Elsa Magee, Acting President of the New York State Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC), the agency that administers the New York State World Trade Center Memorial Scholarship.

"This scholarship guarantees access to a college education for the families and victims of innocent victims who died or were severely and permanently disabled as a result of the attacks and the rescue and recovery efforts that followed," said Magee. "We were pleased to award this scholarship to more than 470 students last year."

The memorial scholarship covers up to four years of full-time undergraduate study at a public or private college, or five years in an approved five-year bachelor's degree program.

The award pays up to 98 percent of the actual cost of attendance at the State University of New York or City University of New York. Cost of attendance includes tuition and fees, actual room and board charged to students living on campus, or an allowance for room and board for commuter students, plus allowances for books, supplies and transportation.

Scholarship details can be found at HESC.org.

About HESC: The New York State Higher Education Services Corporation is the State's student financial aid agency, providing more grant and scholarship awards to students than any other state in the nation. HESC helped nearly 650,000 students achieve their dream of attending college by providing $4.5 billion in grants, scholarships and loan guarantees in 2007-08, including $795 million awarded through the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) to more than 370,000 students. HESC also provides training and technical services to college financial aid administrators, high school counselors and lenders participating in the Federal Family Education Loan Program.

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