TAP/APTS & HESC Scholarships

The Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) and Aid for Part-Time Studies (APTS) are New York State-funded grants for qualifying matriculated undergraduate students. Students who do not hold a U.S. high school diploma or its equivalent must achieve a minimum score on appropriate ability-to-benefit tests. If you do not hold a high school diploma or its equivalent from a United States institution, please contact the Student Financial Aid Office at 718.982.2030.  Information on Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC) scholarships can be found by visiting https://www.hesc.ny.gov/pay-for-college/financial-aid/types-of-financial-aid.html#horizontalTab2.

TAP/HESC Scholarships Minimum Credit Requirements
(Tuition Assistance Program)

• First Award—At least 12 equated credits meeting the requirements of your curriculum/major are required, including at least three (3) non-remedial credits.
• Second or Later Award—At least 12 equated credits meeting the requirements of your curriculum/major are required, including at least six (6)   non-remedial credits.
• Summer Award—At least six (6) college credits meeting the requirements of your curriculum/major are required AND:
  
  a.  in the preceding Spring semester at least 12 credits that met  the requirements of the major,
  b.  the number of credits completed in the Fall that met the requirements of the major in the Fall plus the number of completed credits in the Spring that met the requirements of the major in the Spring must be no less than 24. Note: These are minimum credit requirements. Taking the minimum number of credits required may jeopardize your eligibility to receive an award in a subsequent semester. Please review the completed-credits requirements in the applicable PROGRESS/PURSUIT CHART below.

Students who received their first TAP award prior to July 1981 and officially or unofficially withdraw from all courses during a semester in which TAP or a HESC Scholarship is awarded lose future TAP eligibility. Eligibility may be reinstated for a student who applies for and is granted a TAP waiver under the criteria listed below.

Questions about the information contained in the progress/pursuit charts should be directed to the Office of the Registrar, North Administration Building (2A), Room 110. Students who fail to meet applicable standards may apply for a TAP waiver. Applications for this TAP waiver are available from and should be submitted to the Center for Advising and Academic Success.

Conditions/restrictions for the waiver are:

• An appeal must be based on circumstances outside the College.
• The reason must be extenuating, extraordinary, or unusual. Normal family  responsibilities, work, fear of failing a class do not meet this standard.
• Documentation MUST be provided to support a waiver request.
• A one-time waiver may be granted only once for failure to meet Program Pursuit or Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements.

Part-Time TAP

(Undergraduates)
Matriculated part-time students taking between 6 and 11 credits that meet the requirements of their major can receive part-time TAP it they were freshmen in the 2006-2007 academic year or thereafter, have earned 12 credits or more in each of two consecutive semesters and have a "C" average or better.

APTS

(Aid for Part-Time Study)
A grant program for part-time students who are NY State residents attending college in NYS.
Awarded by the University for the fall and spring semesters.
To be considered a student must:

• be enrolled for 6 to 11 credits that meet the requirements of his/her major;
• not have used up Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) or other NYS student financial aid eligibility for full-time students;

NYS Dream Act

The Senator José Peralta New York State DREAM Act gives undocumented and other students access to New York State‐administered student financial aid to support their higher education costs.

Students eligible to apply for financial aid through the NYS DREAM Act must also complete an application for each program they are interested in obtaining aid from. More information can be found here.

TAP/APTS PROGRESS AND PURSUIT REQUIREMENTS

Students who receive TAP, APTS and other New York State awards in a given semester must meet certain minimum academic criteria before receiving another grant in a future semester. Those criteria are listed in the various TAP/APTS PROGRESS & PURSUIT CHARTS below. Which chart applies to you depends on whether you are in the SEEK program or took a certain number remedial of classes, and on when you first received a TAP, APTS or other New York State award and whether you are pursuing a bachelor or associate degree. Use the steps below to determine which chart applies to you.

FINDING THE APPLICABLE TAP/APTS PROGRESS & PURSUIT CHART

Students Who Are Enrolled in SEEK Program or Took Remedial Classes:

• Are you enrolled in the SEEK program?
• Were you required to take remedial courses in at least 2 semesters based on scores in CUNY placement exams?
• In the term you received your first TAP award, did you take 6 or more remedial credits?

If you answer Yes to ANY of the 3 questions above and you are:

• A baccalaureate-degree student, you must follow the requirements in Chart B
• An associate-degree student, you must follow the requirements in Chart C

 If you answer No to ALL 3 questions above, continue based on when you received (or may receive) your first TAP award.

TAP Funds First Received Prior to Academic Year (AY) 2005-2006

• All Students who received TAP funds prior to AY 2005-2006, must follow the requirements in Chart A

TAP Funds First Received Between AY 2006-2007 and AY 2009-2010

• Baccalaureate-degree students must follow requirements in Chart B
• Associate-degree students must follow the requirements in Chart C

TAP Funds First Received In AY 2010-2011 or Later
Students Who Are NOT Registered With the CSI Center for Student Accessibility

• Baccalaureate-degree students must follow requirements in Chart D
• Associate-degree students must follow the requirements in Chart E

Students Who ARE Registered With the Office of Accessibility Services*

• Baccalaureate-degree students must follow requirements in Chart F
• Associate-degree students must follow the requirements in Chart G

*Students registered with the Office of Accessibility Services are presumed to be disabled as defined by the Americans with Disability Act of 1990 (ADA). If a student is registered with the CSI Center for Student Accessibility and is not disabled as defined by the ADA, the student must meet the requirements in Chart D or E, depending on the program’s degree level.