Governor Kathy Hochul announces expansion of NYS’ Tuition Assistance Program
New York State’s Tuition Assistance Program is getting a $150 million expansion that is estimated to provide assistance to 75,000 additional students.
Governor Kathy Hochul said students of color, immigrant students, and female students were often the ones who did not qualify for TAP in the past, “So, that was bad, didn’t work, and it didn’t help us prepare the workforce for the jobs that are waiting today and tomorrow. So, we’re eliminating all those requirements, expanding part-time TAP so it covers part-time students and those taking as few as six credits a semester at a SUNY or CUNY school or a not-profit college are now eligible for TAP.”
Hochul said the new program starts immediately.
Full-time TAP awards can be up to $5,665 annually for a full-time student; part-time TAP will be available on a pro-rated basis to eligible students taking six to 11 credits per semester with no full-time prerequisite.
Students enrolling in the Fall 2022 semester may apply for part-time TAP by filling out the federal FAFSA application. Once submitted, New York State residents attending NYS campuses can link directly to the TAP application. For students who have already enrolled and submitted their FAFSA for the 2022-2023 academic year, TAP awards will automatically be adjusted based on the number of enrolled credits.
Eligibility for part-time TAP is consistent with full-time TAP awards, which includes residency and income requirements. TAP awards do not need to be repaid by any recipient.
New York State TAP is one of the nation’s largest need-based college financial aid grant programs.
Overall, more than 6 million New Yorkers were awarded nearly $30 billion in tuition assistance awards through TAP. During the 2020-2021 academic year, 250,000 New Yorkers were awarded more than $700 million in tuition assistance awards.
As a result of state and federal financial support, more than 190,000 New York residents attend CUNY or SUNY tuition-free.
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