The 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 began study, annual TAP awards can be as much as $5,000. At Hunter College, the maximum annual TAP award is $4,600. Because TAP awards are considered grants, they do not have to be paid back!

WHO IS ELIGIBLE?

To be eligible for tuition assistance, a student must:

• Be a United States citizen or eligible non-citizen
• Be a legal resident of New York State
  
• Be a high school graduate, have a GED, or have passed a federally-approved exam demonstrating that the student can benefit from the education offered
• Be matriculated in an approved program of study and be in good academic standing
• Study full time (at least 12 credits per semester) at an approved post-secondary institution in New York State
• Have at least a cumulative "C" average after receipt of two annual payments
• Not be in default on a student loan guaranteed by HESC and not be in default on any repayment of State awards
• Meet the income requirement

Student Loan Default

A student who is in default of any loan that HESC administers is not eligible for any state-sponsored grant or scholarship. The 2009-2010 NYS Executive Budget provides that all students in default on any federal education loan will be ineligible for state-sponsored awards.

OUT OF STATE STUDY

A CUNY Student may receive payment of a state-sponsored grant or scholarship for out-of-state study only if the following conditions exist:

• The student is required to pay all tuition and instructional fees for foreign (or out-of-state) study to the approved unit of CUNY
• The off-campus study program must be an integral part of the CUNY curriculum and tuition must be payable to CUNY and received by CUNY in the same way tuition is charged for any other CUNY program
  
• All credits taken at the foreign (or out-of-state) school must be applicable to the student's degree at CUNY
  

WHAT ARE THE AWARD AMOUNTS?

The amount of TAP you receive depends on your family income, the number of family members attending college full-time, the number of semesters you have received TAP so far, and the size of the annual appropriation for the program. Maximum TAP awards can be equal to but not greater than the full tuition of a college. State budgetary restrictions can further limit TAP awards to a portion of your tuition. A PTAP award will be based on your part-time credit load and will be calculated as a proportional fraction of the normal full-time TAP award.

MAXIMUM TAP ELIGIBILITY

Undergraduate students enrolled in four-year programs may receive up to four years of assistance for full-time study, or up to five years of assistance for SEEK/CD students.

WHAT ARE THE INCOME LIMITS?

• Dependent, undergraduate students or students who are married or have tax dependents must claim less than an $80,000 NYS Net Taxable Income to be eligible for TAP.
  
• Single, independent undergraduate students with no dependents must claim less than a $10,000 NYS Net Taxable Income to be eligible for TAP.
  
• Single, independent graduate students with no dependents must claim less than a $5,666 NYS Net Taxable Income to be eligible for TAP.
  
• Dependent graduate students or independent graduate students who are married or have tax dependents must claim less than a $20,000 NYS Net Taxable Income to be eligible for TAP.
  

WHAT DETERMINES THE AMOUNT OF THE AWARD?

• Academic year in which first payment of TAP or any State award is received
• Type of post-secondary institution and the tuition charged
• Combined family New York Net Taxable Income
• Financial status (dependent or independent)
• Other family members enrolled in college

HOW DO I APPLY?

First, you must complete the FAFSA.

On the FAFSA confirmation page, click on the link for New York State residents located below the federal confirmation #. This will bring you to the TAP website where you will be able to apply for the New York State tuition assistance program for full-time and part-time students.

Your federal PIN serves as your signature for the electronic TAP application. If you (or your parent) did not use a PIN to sign your electronic FAFSA, the FAFSA signature page satisfies the TAP signature requirement.

If you do not complete the TAP application immediately after filing your FAFSA on the Web, you will be sent an email or postcard with a link to the online TAP application after your FAFSA is processed.

The filing deadline for TAP is May 1 of the academic year for which you wish to receive aid.

NEW FEATURE FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

As of the Fall 1998 semester, students who are disabled, as defined by the 1990 Federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), do not have to be in full time attendance to be eligible for Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) payments. If your disability warrants part-time attendance, you may take as few as three (3) credits per semester to be eligible for TAP.

Students who are disabled, as defined by the ADA, must see a counselor in the Office for Students with Disabilities, located in Room 1128 East, in order to establish eligibility for TAP under this provision.

Once TAP eligibility has been established, the approval form from the Office for Students with Disabilities must be submitted to OASIS in Room 217 North.