On May 26, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced the “Get a Shot to Make Your Future” vaccine incentive, a public outreach campaign consisting of a series of statewide drawings to increase awareness of the availability and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines and provide incentives to New Yorkers 12-17 years of age to get a COVID-19 vaccination.
Parents or legal guardians of any New Yorker, ages 12 to 17, can enter their child who has received at least their first COVID-19 vaccine dose, for a chance to win one of 50 scholarships to any New York State public college or university.
The winners will receive up to four years of full-time undergraduate study or five years in an approved five-year bachelor's degree program which includes the following components:
- Tuition: An amount equal to tuition at the State or City University of New York's in-state tuition.
- Non-tuition Costs: Room and board and allowances for books, supplies and transportation up to the average cost at SUNY colleges.
- Residence: Students living on campus will receive a higher room and board allowance than commuter students. If housing is not available for students on campus, they will receive the same allowance as students living on campus.
All 12- to 17-year-olds who have been vaccinated are eligible for the incentive irrespective of when they received the vaccine. All entries received will be included in all drawings after the entry is received. Only one entry per child will be valid and all duplicate entries will be removed prior to the drawing being held. All winners will be removed from the eligible draw list for subsequent drawings. The New York State Department of Health and New York State Higher Education Services Corporation will verify the vaccination status of winners.
The drawings will be conducted weekly, for five weeks, beginning on Tuesday, June 1, 2021. Ten weekly winners will be announced each Wednesday. The drawing announcement schedule can be found below.
Entry End Date | Drawing Date | Announcement date |
May 31, 2021 at 11:59:59 p.m. EDT | June 1, 2021 | June 2, 2021 |
June 7, 2021 at 11:59:59 p.m. EDT | June 8, 2021 | June 9, 2021 |
June 14, 2021 at 11:59:59 p.m. EDT | June 15, 2021 | June 16, 2021 |
June 21, 2021 at 11:59:59 p.m. EDT | June 22, 2021 | June 23, 2021 |
June 28, 2021 at 11:59:59 p.m. EDT | June 29, 2021 | June 30, 2021 |
Entries must be received by June 28, 2021 at 11:59:59 p.m. EDT to be eligible for at least one drawing.
Entry into the program lottery pool may be submitted online at https://forms.ny.gov/s3/Get-A-Shot-To-Make-Your-Future-Registration. Individuals without internet access may call 1-866-697-4829 to submit an entry over the phone.
For more information, visit: https://www.governor.ny.gov/programs/vaccination-scholarship-incentive