Scholarships & Tuition Assistance

2025 College Scholarship Program

Higher education can mean higher costs these days, and HVCU and the New York Credit Union Association (NYCUA) are here to help. The Annual Scholarship Program offers student members the chance to win a scholarship up to $1,500 from NYCUA! Eligible applicants must be a member in good standing of Hudson Valley Credit Union* and meet all of the following criteria:

• The member is a college-bound high school senior at the time of application.
• The member is attending college for the first time in the fall of 2025.
• The member will be enrolled in either a two- or four-year accredited educational institution or trade/vocational school.
• The member agrees to use any scholarship funds awarded by January 31, 2026, at an accredited educational institution or trade/vocational school only.
  
  

Once HVCU membership is verified, approved applicants will receive an email with instructions on how to submit your final application to NYCUA. The entire process is online, so please note these important deadlines: 

• Friday, January 10 at 5 pm: The deadline to request an application from HVCU.  
• Friday, January 17: The deadline for approved applicants to submit their final application to NYCUA.  

All application instructions will be communicated via email. Please make sure that the student’s name, email address, and other contact information is listed accurately when requesting an application.  

Winners will be announced no later than June 30, 2025. If the student is not a member yet, please visit Become a Member to learn how to join.

Request an Application

Thank you to the New York Credit Union Association for making the Program possible. For questions, please email community@hvcu.org. 

*Students are considered an HVCU member if they have a Savings Account in their name only or they are listed first on a joint Savings Account with an adult. Hudson Valley Credit Union may occasionally use scores from the NYCUA competition to award its own scholarships. HVCU employees, volunteers, their family, and relatives are ineligible for these HVCU scholarships.

Grants & Scholarships

There are so many options to fund your college education, it can seem a bit confusing at first. One of the best sources of funding is free or nearly-free money from grants and scholarships available for a wide variety of skills, background, and studies. The credit union offers its own scholarships, as well as this easy-to-use Sallie Mae's scholarship search tool with over 3.5 million scholarship opportunities totaling more than $18 billion.

New York State Tuition Assistance Program (TAP)

The New York State Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) helps eligible New York residents attending in-state post-secondary institutions pay for tuition. Depending on the academic year in which the student begins study, an annual TAP award can be as high as $5,000. TAP is a grant, and does not have to be paid back.

Applying for TAP

For New York State residents who include a New York school in “step six” of the FAFSA, the NYS Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC) will automatically send the applicant an Express New York State Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) Application (ETA). Deadline for filing the TAP Application is May 1st of the academic year for which aid is sought. For more information, visit the HESC website.

If the FAFSA applicant will also be applying for TAP, remember to submit the FAFSA early enough to be able to receive and submit the TAP application before the May 1st deadline.