Understanding TAP Eligibility

The NY State Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) provides tuition assistance to NY State residents who are enrolled in a bachelor’s degree program at colleges in NY State like Brooklyn College. TAP grants are available for full-time and part-time study. Full-time TAP may cover up to 100% of your tuition charges each semester. The TAP grant does not pay fees.

To determine your eligibility for a TAP grant you must first Apply For TAP.

Eligibility Requirements for NY State TAP

Eligible Person: Citizenship, DREAM act, Residency and Financial Status Requirements

• U.S. Citizens and Eligible non-Citizens that are also legal residents of NY State
• Undocumented persons who are eligible under the NY State DREAM Act
• Persons not in default on any Federal or State student loans
• Persons in compliance with the terms of the service condition(s) imposed by any NYS award that they have previously received

Academic Eligibility Requirements

• Have a U.S. HS Diploma or Equivalent (GED, TASC) or passed a federally approved ATB exam
• Attend an approved college (such as Brooklyn College)
• Be enrolled in a undergraduate degree-granting program of study and maintain good academic standing
• Transfer students who are transferring with at least 60 credits must declare a major in their first semester before the published deadline. Consult the academic calendar for the deadline.
• Be a first time college student as of Fall 2006 or thereafter and enrolled for at least 6 credits but fewer than 12 credits applicable to your program of study to be eligible for part-time TAP.
• Be enrolled in at least 12 credits applicable to your program of study to be eligible for full-time TAP.
• Be charged at least $200 in tuition per year.

Income Limit Requirements

• $125,000 or less net taxable income (NTI):
  
  • If you are a dependent undergraduate student within a household earning under the income limit OR
  • If you are an independent student (married or single) with tax dependents OR
  • If you are a student who qualified as an orphan, foster child, or ward of the court at any time since the age of 13.

  TAP Award Amounts

  The minimum is $1,000 per year ($500 per term) to a maximum of $5,665 per year ($2,832.50 per term )for 2024-25 academic year (the minimum award increased to $1,000 effective 2024-25).

  For students attending CUNY senior colleges like Brooklyn College, where the tuition exceeds the maximum TAP grant amount, an additional TAP Waiver award amount may be applied based on a predefined percentage of the TAP award itself. Full-time students with a maximum TAP grant will still have their full tuition covered by the grant and TAP waiver.

  Part-Time TAP Award Amount Proration

  Part-Time TAP award amounts adjust based on the percentage of credits applied against the Full-Time TAP Award as determined by the TAP application process. For example a student taking 9 credits applicable to their program of study will receive 75% of their TAP grant in that semester.

  Definition of Good Academic Standing

  The academic guidelines for New York State (NYS) aid programs are divided into three major areas: Program Pursuit, Academic Progress and GPA. Students must meet all three sets of rules in order to eligible to receive one or more NYS award each semester.

  Program Pursuit

  Program Pursuit— requires all students to complete a specific number of credits each semester. A course is considered completed when a grade of A+, A, A-, B-, B, B+, C-, C, C+, D-, D, D+, P (Passing), NC (No Credit), INC (incomplete) or F (Failing) is awarded at the end of the semester. Grades of W (Official Withdrawal), WU (Unofficial Withdrawal), WA (Administrative Withdrawal), WN (Never Attended) or WD (Withdrawal Drop) are not considered completed grades.

  Academic Progress

  Academic Progress – comprises a minimum number of credits to be accrued (earned) with a minimum cumulative grade point average in each term an award payment is received. The progress standard is most clearly presented in chart format as presented on the next folio of this guide.

  C Average

  For Part-time TAP a student must maintain a GPA of 2.0 after their first semester. The only exception are students in their first semester at Brooklyn College.

  For full-time TAP a student who has received two or more full years of state funded aid must have and maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 (C Average) or above.

  Academic Progress and Pursuit Charts

  First Time TAP Recipients before 2005 or in the 2005-2006 Academic Year

  

  First Time TAP Recipients who are SEEK or during the 2007-2008 to 2009-2010 Academic Years

  

  First Time TAP Recipients from 2010 and Thereafter

  

  Student’s who qualify under the American for Disabilities Act and enroll Part-time

  

  Consequences of Failing to meet Academic Progress and Pursuit

  • You will not be eligible for TAP in the semester which you are not meeting the academic requirements.
  • You can regain eligibility by meeting the requirements for the next payment as indicated on the applicable chart above or you can appeal for a TAP waiver if your failure to meet the progress and/or pursuit standard(s) was due to a severe circumstance beyond your control.

  TAP Academic Progress and Pursuit Appeal Waiver

  • The Progress and Pursuit appeal waiver can only be granted one-time during undergraduate study.
  • A C Average waiver appeal may be granted multiple times during the course of undergraduate study.
  • The appeal process is outlined in the online TAP Waiver Appeal Form (accessible with your BC WebCentral Credentials). Submission of a TAP waiver appeal does not guarantee approval.
  • The appeal process requires you to submit supporting documentation and meet with a financial aid advisor for counseling.
  • The appeal committee reviews the appeal form, supporting documentation, personal statement, academic record and history, and TAP payment usage to determine what course of action is in the student’s best interest. Sometimes an appeal is denied because it is determined to be in the best interest of the student, especially given the limitation on the number of TAP payments.

  TAP Payment Limitations and Point System

  TAP Payment Limits

  Each full-time TAP payment is equivalent to 6 payment points. These payment points are used to determine your academic progress and pursuit requirements. Students at senior colleges are eligible for 8 full-time TAP payments equivalent to 48 points. The only exceptions are students in SEEK or students enrolled in an eligible five year program (such as Public Accounting and Business Management B.S. degree) which may go to 60 points.

  Part-Time TAP and Point Proration

  Students using part-time TAP use the number of points equivalent to the percentage of the prorated payment. For example, a 9 credit enrollment of applicable coursework is equivalent to 75% of the 6 points of a full-time TAP payment. This means that 4.5 TAP points have been used for that TAP payment.