Senator José Peralta New York State DREAM Act

Passed in 2019, the NYS DREAM Act allows people with or without immigration status, to apply for New York state financial aid to achieve their higher education dreams. This means that undocumented people may apply for grant and scholarship programs created and funded by New York State. However, applicants must meet the eligibility requirements of the individual grants or scholarships.

New York State DREAM Act Application

The DREAM Act application, found on the Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC) website, is separated into two parts.

PART 1: Determines your eligibility for NYS DREAM Act.

• It is important to make sure the information you provide in this section is accurate. You cannot go back and change your immigration status and other information once you submit it.
• You will be asked to submit supporting documents in this part of the application.

• After you complete this section you will be sent to the second part of your application and you will receive an automated email reminding you to complete PART 2 of the application.

PART 2: Apply for NYS Financial Aid Programs

• After you complete the DREAM Act eligibility section of the application, you will be sent to apply for NYS aid programs.
• Any program that has open enrollment will be available on this dashboard.
• On this dashboard you should be able to sign up to be notified when other state financial aid programs become available.

See our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for more information about state aid.

See HESC’s Step by Step User Guide on how to complete PART 1’s DREAM Act eligibility requirements.

New York State DREAM Act Eligibility

To be eligible for the NYS DREAM Act, there are three requirements to consider: (1) permanent home in NYS and immigration status, (2) education or in state tuition requirement, and (3) time frame of enrolling to a NYS college.

See our NYS DREAM Act Eligibility Flow Chart that breaks down the information below.

1) Permanent Home in NYS?

a. YES: For those whose permanent home is in NYS, the NYS DREAM Act allows the following immigration statuses to apply:

i. Undocumented (without lawful immigration status)
ii. T-Visa or U-Visa
iii. Temporary Protected Status (TPS)
iv. DACA Student

b. NO: For those whose permanent home is NOT in NYS, the NYS DREAM Act opens the opportunity to apply for NYS financial aid to both citizens and non-citizens, as follows:

i. Undocumented (without lawful immigration status)
ii. T-Visa or U-Visa
iii. Temporary Protected Status (TPS)
iv. DACA Student
v. U.S. Citizen
vi. A Class of Paroled Refugee by Attorney General

c. Permanent home definitions:

Your permanent home is in NYS if you have resided in New York State for 12 continuous months prior to applying.

Unless you are a dependent— if your parents claim you as a dependent on their tax returns, then your parents’ home is your permanent home.

• Your parent(s) resided in New York State for 12 or more continuous months at the time you applied, your permanent home is in NYS.
• If your parents reside outside of NYS, your permanent home not in New York State.

2) Education or in state tuition requirements—Must meet one of the following:

a. Attended a NYS high school for 2 or more years AND graduated from a NYS high school.

b. Received a NYS high school equivalency diploma.

c. Charged the NYS resident in state tuition rate at a SUNY or CUNY college for any reason other than residency.

3) Time frame to apply to NYS a college—must be within the following time frames:

a. Enroll or enrolled for undergraduate study at a NYS college within 5-years of receiving your NYS high school diploma or equivalency.

b. Enroll or enrolled for graduate study at a NYS college within 10-years of receiving your NYS high school diploma or equivalency.

c. If you were charged in state tuition at a SUNY or CUNY for any reason other than residency, there is not a time frame requirement.