Governor Hochul Announces Launch of Historic $150 Million Expansion of Tuition Assistance Program to Part-Time Students

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the launch of the historic $150 million expansion of New York State's popular Tuition Assistance Program, 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," Governor 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.

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.

New York also adopted the Senator José Peralta DREAM Act In 2019, which provides undocumented New Yorkers and other students access to TAP and other New York Stateadministered grants and scholarships that support their higher education costs. Students can learn more about that here.

SUNY Interim Chancellor Deborah F. Stanley said, "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. 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."

CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez said, "This unprecedented expansion of TAP to part-time students will have a transformative impact on the lives of thousands of New Yorkers, providing a pathway to upward social mobility and a better-paying jobs, while simultaneously fueling New York's post-pandemic recovery. We thank Governor Hochul for her leadership and legislators for making it possible for tens of thousands of our part-time students, including parents, to pursue their educational dreams."

New York State Higher Education Services Corporation President Dr. Guillermo Linares said, "I applaud Governor Hochul for broadening a program that has already helped hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers realize their dream of a college education. This expansion will enable even more students across our State, who are unable to attend full-time due to other responsibilities, access to financial aid to make college more attainable and will continue to narrow equity gaps and accelerate upward mobility among disadvantaged populations."

State Senator Toby Ann Stavisky said, "The passage of part-time TAP in the 2022-2023 budget will enable additional students to attend college. Many colleges are experiencing serious declines in enrollment and these part-time awards will empower older, working, and non-traditional students to continue their education."

State Senator Brian Kavanagh said, "The Tuition Assistance Program has provided critical support for millions of New Yorkers working to succeed in college. The $150 million expansion of this program to enable about 75,000 part-time learners to participate is a great way to invest in our public colleges and in New Yorkers seeking higher education, and I thank Governor Hochul for her leadership on this. Equity, access, and affordability of higher education are crucial issues that we are working hard to address. Part-time students often face particular challenges as many are balancing other responsibilities in addition to pursuing a degree, including work, taking care of a family, health issues, and more. It's crucially important that we ensure that these students are not shut out of the opportunity to pursue higher education. So I am proud to have supported this investment in TAP, and I also want to thank the community of students, faculty, and staff at Borough of Manhattan Community College, which I am proud to represent, for their dedication to providing educational opportunities for so many New Yorkers."

Assemblymember Deborah Glick said, "As Chair of the Assembly's Higher Education Committee, I know that the TAP program is foundational to educational and economic opportunity in our state. I've consistently fought to strengthen the program so that any New Yorker who wants to attend a higher education program gets the support they need, and I'm thrilled that this expansion will do just that. Part-time students are often non-traditional students and adults who are pursuing educational opportunity while balancing work and family responsibilities. 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."

Professional Staff Congress, the union representing faculty and professional staff at CUNY President James Davis said, "We thank Governor Hochul for including part-time TAP as part of her plan for a multi-year reinvestment in CUNY. We look forward to continued collaboration with the governor as we work to ensure the broadest possible access to high quality, public higher education. Part-time TAP will support enrollments and give our students, many of whom are parents and workers, the aid they need to pursue a college degree on a part-time basis."

NYPIRG Program Director Megan Ahearn said, "New York's Tuition Assistance Program is one of the nation's most robust financial aid programs. Its recent expansion to part-time students is a much needed step for education equity. Part-time students often support families, and juggle work and other responsibilities. Encouraging and supporting their path to a college degree is a no-brainer. We applaud Governor Hochul for its passage and encourage students to fill out their FAFSA and state applications today."

For more information on how to apply to New York State's public colleges and universities, go to www.suny.edu/attend/apply-to-suny/ for SUNY campuses and www.cuny.edu/admissions/apply-to-cuny/#apply for CUNY schools.