Education & Student Aid · Surprise rank #268
Want to Teach Middle or High School Math or Science? New York Can Pay Your Tuition
New York covers up to the full SUNY tuition rate for students training to teach math or science in grades 7-12, in exchange for five years teaching in a New York secondary school. Applications open in spring, so check now for the next cycle.
Who
Full-time undergraduate or graduate students in an approved math or science teacher education program at a SUNY, CUNY or private college in New York State who intend to teach grades 7-12 in New York.
Where: New York State — study at a New York college and teach in a New York secondary school.
What to do
Start here: Watch HESC's program page for the next application opening (recent cycles have opened in spring with a May deadline), complete the FAFSA and TAP application, then submit the Math and Science Teaching Incentive Program application. Call 1-888-697-4372 to be sure you do not miss the window.
Eligibility: Full-time enrollment in an approved math or science teacher-prep program at a New York college; cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher; New York State resident or NYS DREAM Act eligibility; agreement to live in New York and teach math or science full-time at the secondary level for five years.
What you get
The NYS Math and Science Teaching Incentive Program pays an award equal to the resident undergraduate tuition rate at a SUNY state-operated college, or your actual tuition if lower, for full-time undergraduate or graduate study in an approved math or science teacher-preparation program. In exchange, you agree to teach math or science full-time in a New York secondary school for five years.
Benefit: Tuition covered up to the SUNY resident undergraduate rate. HESC set that rate at $7,070 a year ($3,535 per term) for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 academic years, or your actual tuition if it is less.
Possible value: Roughly $7,070 a year, up to about $28,000 across four years of full-time study. The practical value is highest at a private or out-of-district college where tuition exceeds the SUNY rate, since the award is capped at the SUNY figure.
Good to know
Important: Two things matter most. Awards are granted based on available funding with priority given to prior recipients, so a new applicant is not guaranteed anything even if fully eligible. And the five-year teaching commitment must be completed within seven years of finishing your degree — if you do not, the entire scholarship converts to a loan you must repay with interest. You also cannot hold this and the Excelsior Scholarship or the STEM Incentive Program in the same year.
Availability: Active but application-cycle dependent; the application was not open on HESC's scholarship index as of August 10, 2026. Awards depend on available funding, with priority to renewals.
Why people miss it: The application window is short and does not run continuously, so students who look for it outside the spring cycle see nothing and assume the program is gone.
Sources reviewed: Aug 10, 2026