TAP Eligibility and How to Apply
Am I Eligible for TAP and How do I Apply?
To apply for TAP, students must file a FAFSA application and indicate on the FAFSA that they are a New York State resident and list at least one NYS college in their school selection. There is also a NYS Dream Act Pathway for students that do not meet the citizenship requirements to apply for Federal Aid.
You can find all the TAP eligibility requirements here:
Note, that to maintain TAP eligibility, the recipient must be enrolled as a full-time student (12 credits or more/per semester). If a student repeats a course that they have already passed, it will not count towards full-time enrollment for TAP purposes. The student can, however, repeat a course that they have failed to meet the requirement.
Like FAFSA, you must reapply for TAP every year. For an associate degree you may receive TAP for up to 6 semesters. If you enroll in a 4 year college program at a senior college, you will become eligible for an additional 2 full-time semesters. There are exceptions for certain programs: you can receive up to 8 semesters in a “College Discovery” Associate Degree Program and 10 semesters in a “SEEK” Bachelor’s degree program.
Students can apply for TAP through their FAFSA application. New York State (NYS) residents attending NYS schools can link directly to the TAP application from the FAFSA submission confirmation page. Select the “Start your state application to apply for New York state-based financial aid” box to access the TAP application. See example here.
If you are a NYS resident and did not complete the NYS TAP application after filing your FAFSA, you will receive an email from HESC – usually within three to four days of completing the FAFSA – with instructions on how to complete the TAP application, provided you selected at least one NYS college on the FAFSA. Go to the site below and select “Apply Now” in the “Didn’t Apply for TAP through the FAFSA” section (Your FAFSA must be processed before you can apply directly through the HESC.gov site).
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