Part-time students will become eligible for NY tuition assistance

ALBANY, N.Y. — New York State is making a $150 million expansion of the Tuition Assistance Program.

Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on Thursday that part-time students are now eligible to apply for financial assistance through TAP. At a Manhattan Community College conference, she said the expansion could extend TAP benefits to about 7,500 more students who are earning their degrees within the state.

Previously, the TAP program was only for full-time students. Part-time students, who sometimes include people attending college with full-time jobs or with childcare duties, were left out.

“Tap has always been there as that way to bridge the gap between what you have in your family, families that don’t have much, and the cost of your tuition,” Hochul said. “Its supposed to help you cross that bridge, cross that bridge to opportunity. And that’s what we’ve done because we know TAP works and yet since its inception, it’s been too limited.”

You can apply for TAP through your FAFSA federal aid application. You can learn more here.

The governor said that 250,000 New Yorkers use the TAP program each year with an average award of $3,300 per semester. This number is expected to grow exponentially with the inclusion of part-time students.