Part-Time Students Taking Six or More Credits Per Semester Can Receive Aid Starting This Fall
New York State Governor Kathy Hochul has announced the launch of a historic $150 million expansion of New York State’s popular Tuition Assistance Program (TAP), which will now provide TAP to approximately 75,000 additional students who are pursuing their degree part-time.
Expanding Part-Time TAP to fully part-time learners creates pathways to an affordable education for individuals of all ages who are often balancing other responsibilities such as a family and work. 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.
“As Governor, I want to do more than just care for this state today, I want to prepare New York for tomorrow,” Hochul said. “Higher education students not only hold the key for our state, but for their families. A degree changes more than just the life of its holder, it changes the lives of those all around them. Every person who calls New York home should have the opportunity to better themselves and invest in their education. My administration is committed to supporting our students in every way possible and I thank my partners in service for making this a reality.”
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.
“As our students come to us from varying backgrounds, financial situations and goals, this expanded TAP program will allow us to support and assist students with more customized financial awards,” said Dawn S. Medley, vice provost for Enrollment Management and Retention. “Just as a college education is individual and aimed to meet the students’ goals, TAP will now be available to support those students who have competing priorities and choose to pursue their degrees at a part-time pace. Governor Hochul has again demonstrated her support of all students with this latest program expansion.”
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.
About 2 million New Yorkers between the ages of 25 to 44 have no degree, and 2.5 million between the ages of 45 to 64 are without one. Expanding Part-Time TAP is part of a broader push to invest in public higher education and improve access and affordability for every student, including $106 million to hire new faculty at SUNY and CUNY, $100 million to increase enrollment, reestablishing TAP for incarcerated individuals, banning the practice of transcript withholding, and making significant investments into state-of-the-art capital facilities.
“Governor Hochul and our state legislators who have prioritized higher education in this year’s budget, especially in expanding TAP, are providing life-changing opportunities for many more New Yorkers striving to attain their degrees,” said SUNY Interim Chancellor Deborah F. Stanley. “New York State’s unique Tuition Assistance Program has long been the anchor of financial support for our students seeking the high-quality education offered at our SUNY campuses. Expanding TAP to cover part-time college attendance for thousands of learners whose lives are often already full of family and work responsibilities can be that added incentive to reach for their dream of college completion.”
“Part-time students are often non-traditional students and adults who are pursuing educational opportunity while balancing work and family responsibilities,” said Assemblymember Deborah Glick. “I am grateful that they will no longer face the financial hurdle of being unable to access state financial aid. I want to thank Governor Hochul for her leadership on this issue, and my colleagues in the legislature for their support of the expansion.”
