Official Program Rules: Nurses For Our Future Scholarship

Entries must be completed at https://www.governor.ny.gov/programs/nurses-our-future-scholarship.

By successfully transmitting a completed online entry form, each participant will be entered into the drawing.

The Nurses for our Future Scholarship will close Tuesday, June 14 at 11:59 pm.

You are eligible to participate in the drawing if you meet the following requirements:

1. You currently live outside New York State and:
   • have earned an associate degree in nursing;
   • currently work as a licensed nurse outside New York State;
   • agree to relocate to New York State and obtain employment in New York State;
   • agree to pursue a BSN and enroll full-time or part-time in a BSN program at a New York State public college or university by spring 2024;
   • agree to work as a registered nurse in a high need facility in NYS for two years upon graduation, if enrolled full-time; and
   • Provide all required supplemental documentation to the New York State Higher Education Services Corporation to determine eligibility for payment of the “Nurses For Our Future” Scholarship.
2. You currently live inside New York State and:
   • have earned an associate degree in nursing;
   • currently work as a licensed nurse inside New York State;
   • agree to pursue a BSN and enroll full-time or part-time in a BSN program at a New York State public college or university by fall 2023;
   • agree to work as a registered nurse in a high need facility in NYS for two years upon graduation, if enrolled full-time; and
   • Provide all required documentation to the New York State Higher Education Services Corporation to determine eligibility for payment of the “Nurses For Our Future” Scholarship.
3. You currently live inside New York State and:
   • Agree to pursue an associate degree in nursing full-time at a New York State public college or university by spring 2023;
   • Agree to work as a registered nurse in a high need facility in NYS for two years upon graduation; and
   • Provide all required documentation to the New York State Higher Education Services Corporation to determine eligibility for payment of the “Nurses For Our Future” Scholarship.
4. You are not in default on any student loan made under any statutory New York State or federal education loan program, and have not failed to fulfill a professional service requirement of any prior award made pursuant to Article 14 of the Education Law or failed to repay an overpayment of any such award.

A total of 1,000 prize winners will be selected from three separate pools of entrants. Winners will be selected proportionally from each pool of entrants based on the percentage of entries from out-of-state licensed nurses, in-state licensed nurses, and in-state new nursing students relative to the total number of complete and unduplicated entries.

Each winner’s eligibility to receive the prize will be verified by New York State and the winner’s college prior to payment. Entries will be randomized, and winners for each category will be selected from within the pool of eligible individuals within that category who have submitted an entry form (“entrants”). The first 1,000 lottery results returned will be the prize winners, subject to verification. The order of the lottery result will be recorded and kept on file for audit purposes.

In the event that an entry is deemed invalid, a discrepancy is found, a winner cannot be located, refuses the prize, refuses to provide verification information, does not promptly respond to the initial contact by State officials, or is otherwise unwilling or unable to be verified, the winner will be removed from the prize group and the prize will be awarded to the next entrant in the order in which they were ranked within each pool until 1,000 winners are verified.

The promptness and degree of reasonableness of efforts to locate a winner or of any decision to deem a winner ineligible based upon these rules shall be at the sole discretion of the New York State Higher Education Services Corporation.

1. The top 1,000 winners will receive notification requesting the submission of additional documentation to validate their eligibility to receive payment of the scholarship.
2. All notifications will occur by email from hesc.ny.gov.
3. Entrants must confirm that they wish to claim the prize and agree to provide the necessary documentation.
4. Entrants must also agree not to notify anyone outside of their household of their status as a potential winner until the official announcement is made.
5. To be eligible to win a prize, New York State must validate that entrant does not have a parent, step-parent, legal guardian, spouse, sibling or other residing household member who is an employee of SUNY, CUNY, HESC, or the New York State Executive Chamber.
6. Winners must attend a public college of SUNY or CUNY in order to claim the prize. If a winner chooses not to attend a public SUNY or CUNY institution, the prize will be forfeited.

Winners will receive funding for the tuition costs at a two-year or four-year New York State public college or university.

Winners must be matriculated in a two-year nursing degree program on a full-time or part-time basis to maintain eligibility to receive funds.

Funds will be available for four semesters of full-time attendance, of a pro-rated award for scholarship winners attending less than full-time. “Step-out” will be available in certain circumstances as governed by the prize agreement.

Winners will be required to enter into a prize agreement governing the terms and conditions of acceptance of the “Nurses For Our Future” Scholarship.

1. The “Nurses For Our Future” Scholarship and any prizes awarded thereunder are NOT A GUARANTEE OR ASSURANCE OF ADMISSION OR ENTRY into any college or university. Students must independently meet all requirements for admission and continued attendance at an institution, including but not limited to all academic performance requirements, degree program requirements, health requirements, and student conduct policies.
2. By agreeing to participate in the program, entrants agree to authorize New York State to verify employment information with their employer, the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance (NYSDTF) or the New York State Department of Civil Service (NYSDCS), and agree to authorize their employer, NYSDTF or NYSDCS to disclose any information necessary to HESC for the purpose of verifying they are not an employee of a prohibited participating State entity.
3. By agreeing to participate in the program, entrants agree that New York State and its entities may utilize and publish their name, likeness and any other information submitted as part of the program for promotional or other purposes in perpetuity without further compensation.
4. Individuals are responsible for the information submitted as part of this program. Entry submissions will include attestation of accurateness of information under penalty of perjury.
5. Winners are responsible for any tax liability that may be incurred from receiving a prize under this program.
6. Any attempt to undermine or manipulate the entry or prize drawing process will be met with prosecution under applicable law. Further, any individual found to have committed such act in the discretion of HESC will be ineligible to receive a prize.
7. Neither the State of New York, the HESC, nor any of its employees or agents shall be responsible for late, inaccurate, lost, misdirected, or incomplete entries, regardless of the reason.
8. Neither the State of New York, the HESC, nor any of its employees or agents shall be responsible for inaccessibility of the entry website or other means of entry or communication, or for the incompatibility with the program website of any individual’s computer, internet connection or other technical hardware or software, regardless of the reason.
9. Neither the State of New York, the HESC, nor any of its employees or agents shall be responsible for any inaccurate, missing, or misinterpreted information in any program documents or communications.
10. By accepting a prize, winners agree to hold New York State and its employees and agents harmless against all claims arising out of receipt of the prize.
11. By participating in the program, all entrants agree to be bound by these Official Program Rules.
12. Prizes are for the benefit of the winners only and are not transferrable to any other person.
13. These rules may be revised at any time at the sole discretion of officials of the State of New York.
14. New York State reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to terminate, modify or suspend the program.
15. Program Rules, Registration, and Prize Information can be found at https://www.governor.ny.gov/official-program-rules-nurses-our-future-scholarship.