Education & Student Aid · Surprise rank #264
9/11 Took or Disabled a Family Member? New York Pays the Full Cost of College
The NYS World Trade Center Memorial Scholarship covers full cost of attendance — tuition, room, board, books and transportation — for survivors and for the children, spouses and financial dependents of people killed or permanently disabled by the September 11, 2001 attacks or the rescue and recovery work afterward.
Who
Survivors who are severely and permanently disabled from injuries sustained in the attacks or the rescue and recovery effort, and the children, spouses and financial dependents of people who died or were severely and permanently disabled. Coverage includes the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and flights 11, 77, 93 and 175.
Where: For study at accredited colleges in New York State. Out-of-state residents can qualify and use a separate payment application.
What to do
Start here: Complete the NYS World Trade Center Memorial Scholarship web supplement on HESC's site, print and sign the confirmation, and submit it with the required documentation. Then file the FAFSA and TAP application by June 30 of each academic year to request payment. Out-of-state residents call 1-888-697-4372 for a payment application.
Eligibility: Qualifying relationship to a 9/11 victim (or being a permanently disabled survivor yourself); enrollment in an approved full-time undergraduate program at a New York State college; good academic standing; not in default on a student loan or NYS award. To count as severely and permanently disabled, the person must be unable to work for pay in any occupation — someone able to work part-time or on light duty does not meet the standard.
What you get
This scholarship pays cost of attendance at a state-operated SUNY rate, or your actual cost of attendance if lower, for up to four years of full-time undergraduate study (five in an approved five-year program). It covers not just tuition and mandatory fees but room and board, books and supplies, and transportation. It applies at any accredited college in New York State, public or private, and there is no cap on the number of awards — every eligible applicant is funded.
Benefit: Cost of attendance at a state-operated SUNY, or your actual cost of attendance, whichever is less — tuition and fees plus room, board, books and transportation.
Possible value: Under HESC's published 2025-26 allowance chart, a residential or off-campus student at an independent college is budgeted at roughly $28,120 for the full year and a commuter at roughly $17,250. Over four years that can exceed $100,000. Other grants and scholarships reduce the award, and total aid cannot exceed your federal cost of attendance.
Good to know
Important: Each family member needs their own separate supplement, and it is worth filing for children who are years away from college — proving eligibility gets much harder as time passes. The disability standard is strict: partial or light-duty work capacity disqualifies. Establishing eligibility does not pay anything on its own; you must also submit the payment application each year by June 30.
Availability: Active; accepting applications. All eligible applicants are funded — there is no award limit.
Why people miss it: Families associate 9/11 benefits with the federal Victim Compensation Fund and the World Trade Center Health Program, and do not realize New York runs a separate, uncapped college scholarship that also covers living costs.
Sources reviewed: Aug 10, 2026