The Vallone Scholarship was established in 1998 by the City Council of New York. It was originally known as the New York City Merit Scholarship and the New York City Council Academic Scholarship, but has since been renamed to honor Peter F. Vallone, the former Chairman of the City Council. 

This scholarship is awarded to students who graduated from either a public or parochial high school in New York City and who attend one of the City University of New York colleges.  Students must meet the following criteria to be awarded a Vallone Scholarship:

• graduate from a New York City high school with a “B” average or higher
• successfully complete at least 12 academic credits in high school 

Each year, more students at Hunter College are awarded Vallone Scholarships than at any other CUNY institution.

In order to initially receive the Vallone Scholarship, the student must:

• enroll as a full time student at a CUNY college within one year of their graduation from high school
• not attend another post-secondary school after high school graduation, before attendance at a CUNY college
• file a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the first year of enrollment

In order to continue receiving the Vallone Scholarship, the student must:

• maintain continuous, full-time enrollment at a CUNY college
• maintain a minimum cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 3.0
• file a FAFSA for each year of enrollment.

If a student fails to meet these requirements, they will no longer receive Vallone Scholarship funds. Baccalaureate students are eligible to receive the Vallone Scholarship for up to 10 semesters.

The amount of the Vallone Scholarship varies annually depending on its inclusion in New York City’s approved annual budget and the amount allocated in the budget for the scholarship. Scholarship funds are disbursed by the Bursar’s Office at Hunter College after CUNY confirms that the student has met the eligibility criteria.