TAP Coach

The Ability to Benefit (ATB) test is an alternative possibility for students, who do not have a high school diploma from within the United States* or a recognized equivalent and are seeking NYS administered financial aid. 

Beginning in the 2007-08 academic year and thereafter, a first-time student who does not possess a U.S. high school diploma from within the United States or the recognized equivalent (e.g., GED) and who is seeking State-administered financial aid (e.g., TAP, Excelsior), must receive a passing score a federally approved ATB test that has been independently administered and evaluated as defined by the Commissioner. The NYS Board of Regents identifies, approves and posts the federally approved ATB tests on the NYS Education Department’s website for this purpose. 

First-time recipients must take and pass an approved ability-to-benefit test within the institution's add/drop period to establish award eligibility in that term. Recent guidance from the NYS Education Department advises that per the Regulations of the Commissioner, the scoring of ability-to-benefit tests must be in accordance with the most up-to-date test publisher's instructions and is overseen by institutional employees who are not employed through, or perform the functions of the admissions, student financial aid, or registrar's offices and such scores are verified by more than one employee. 

Example of the 2022 Accuplacer instructions: allows a student to retake only the portions of the test they didn’t pass, so the “single seating” requirement no longer applies for students who take the 2022 or later version of the Accuplacer. 

The institutional requirements and list of current approved ATB tests can be found at: ATB Institutional Requirements. 

*Within the United States means in a State, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, or the Republic of Palau.

The academic year, for State financial aid purposes, is from July 1 to the following June 30. Summer is considered the first term of the academic year for award payment purposes. A summer term may actually begin before July 1, and spring term may actually end after June 30. Term sequence is summer, fall, spring, or summer, fall, winter, spring. The Regulations of the Commissioner of Education defines full-time study as enrollment in credit-bearing courses applicable to the students' program of study, for at least 12 semester hours for a semester of not less than 15 weeks or 100 calendar days, inclusive of examination periods; or eight semester hours a quarter; or, in programs not organized on a semester or quarter basis, 24 semester hours for an academic year of not more than 12 months (sometimes referred to as a “uniterm”). With each calendar type, full-time study results in a total course load of 24 credits for the academic year. 

For financial aid purposes, when the regular academic year is divided into two equal terms of at least 15 weeks or 100 calendar days, the terms are designated semesters. When the academic year is divided into three equal terms, the terms are designated quarters (usually utilizing quarter credits) or trimesters (usually utilizing semester credits). Although not stated explicitly in the regulation, since two 15-week semesters comprise a minimum 30-week regular academic year, using this measure, quarters or trimesters must be at least 10 weeks in length (three 10-week terms equal 30 weeks). Note: a quarter credit equals two-thirds of a semester hour credit; thus, 12 quarter credits equal 8 semester hours. For students to be eligible for state-administered financial aid, an institution’s academic calendar must satisfy one of these calendar types.

Educational eligibility criteria (as distinct from such requirements as citizenship and residency) for State-administered financial aid programs are defined and mandated in NYS Education Law and Codes, Rules, and Regulations. These academic criteria include high school preparation and completion, matriculation, full-time and part-time study, approved program, remedial workload, good academic standing (satisfactory academic progress and pursuit of program), and accelerated study.

The definition of “regular academic year” for determining award amounts for NYS-administered financial aid programs is based on the definition of full-time and part-time study in the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education. A regular academic year in an institution operating on semesters consists of two semesters of at least 15 weeks or 100 calendar days each, including examination periods. In an institution operating on quarters or trimesters, the regular academic year consists of three quarters or trimesters of at least 10 weeks each, including examination periods. In an institution not organized on a semester, quarter, or trimester basis, the academic year consists of a single period not to exceed 12 months. 

An academic year for New York State award certification purposes begins on July 1 and ends on the following June 30.

NYS Education Law permits an additional “accelerated” TAP payment in an award year, over and above the regular annual award, in certain circumstances. The Regulations of the Commissioner define accelerated study as “a period of attendance, not included in the regular academic year, during which a full-time student enrolls for at least 12 semester hours or the equivalent and a parttime student enrolls for at least six but less than 12 semester hours or the equivalent.” 

Beginning with academic year 2006-07 and thereafter, to be eligible for an accelerated TAP payment--either a full-time or half-time award--students must be enrolled full time in the prior term and earn 24 semester hour credits or the equivalent (i.e., 36 quarter credits) in the prior two semesters or the equivalent (i.e., three prior quarters/trimesters). The 24 semester hours must be credits earned at the same institution and applicable to the student’s program of study. Transfer credits cannot be used to meet this requirement. If a student changes programs within an institution, the 24 credits must be applicable to the program in which the student was enrolled when the credits were earned. Therefore, a student changing their major may use the 24 credits from the previous degree program to meet the requirement. The student must meet the prior study requirement each time an accelerated award is sought. 

Effective April 1, 2007, the equivalent of three credits in noncredit remedial hours per semester (2 credit equivalents per trimester) is permitted to be included in meeting the 24-prior-credit requirement. While the 24 credits can be earned in a variety of ways in the prior two semesters (e.g., 12 and 12, 15 and 9, etc.), the student must be enrolled full-time in the term immediately preceding the accelerated term. For the student taking remedial courses, three credit equivalents in each semester (2 credit equivalents in each quarter/trimester) is the only permissible configuration. Please see TAP Coach Accelerated Study/Remedial Coursework for more details.

Certification 

Use certification code 7 (previously used for students not enrolled in an approved program) to decertify students who do not meet the requirements to receive payment for accelerated study for a term. 

Requirements by term and institution type: 

• At institutions where the summer term is not part of the regular academic year (SUNY, CUNY, and most independent colleges and universities), the summer term is always the accelerated term.
• At institutions that have continuous enrollment, and the regular calendar allows students to attend three semesters or four quarters/trimesters in a calendar year, the accelerated term is the third semester or fourth quarter/trimester.
• Accelerated study eligibility at registered private business schools (a) Schools that teach three terms of 15 weeks or more in a year: to be eligible for a third term of TAP within a calendar year (accelerated study), a student must successfully complete a total of 720 clock hours in two consecutive terms. This would generally result in 360 clock hours per term, unless the school receives approval from the State Education Department for an increase in hours per term. (b) Schools that teach four terms, of at least 10 weeks and fewer than 15 weeks, in a calendar year: to be eligible for a fourth term of TAP within a calendar year (accelerated study), a student must successfully complete a total of 720 clock hours in three consecutive terms. This would generally be 240 clock hours per term unless the school receives State Education Department approval for an increase in the hours per term. 

For TAP purposes, all summer sessions are combined and treated as a single term. NYS Education Law states that if the student enrolls for a term of study which shall be beyond the regular program of study for the academic year, an additional award shall be made for each such term of study on the basis of an equivalent full semester, quarter, or term of attendance during the regular academic year. Students must take combined coursework from summer sessions of at least six (6) credits applicable to their program for a half-time award and 12 credits applicable to their program for a full-time award. PT TAP as it relates to Accelerated Study Undergraduates who are true part-time students - are part-time in fall and spring semesters (first two terms for a 15 week trimester, first three terms for a 10 week trimester/ quarter) - and have not exhausted their annual payment points, may receive PT TAP for a 15-week summer (third term for 10-week trimester/quarter) as long as they do not exceed the annual payment points. True part-time students do not follow accelerated study rules and are not eligible for accelerated study. A student who is full-time during the regular academic year is not eligible for PT TAP payments during the accelerated term and must follow accelerated study requirements. An ADA student who follows a full-time enrollment schedule and wishes to receive a payment in addition to the annual payment will need to meet accelerated study requirements in order to receive an accelerated study payment. 

Payments will be prorated for summer/third term for trimester/quarter for students who have remaining annual eligibility but not enough left to cover the credits reported during certification. 

New York State Scholarships 

Requirements for accelerated study apply to all full-time study scholarships that do not allow for part-time study. The following scholarships are not affected by the accelerated study requirements: 

• Veterans Tuition Awards
• Senator Patricia K. McGee Nursing Faculty Scholarship

Effective April 1, 2007, students must have completed 24 credits in the prior two semesters (or the equivalent in the prior three trimesters/quarters) to receive payment for accelerated study. However, the equivalent of three credits per semester (or two credits per trimester/quarter) may be remedial courses. 

Therefore, a student who has, for example, successfully completed three equivalent credits of remedial work in each of the prior two semesters (total of six) would be eligible for an accelerated payment after having earned a total of 18 credit-bearing courses in their program of study in the preceding two semesters or three trimesters. 

The statute allows substituting only three equivalent credits of remedial study per semester. As such, a student who, for example, successfully completes six equivalent credits of remedial work in one semester and no remedial courses in the next semester, would need to earn 21 credits in their program of study in the prior two semesters to be eligible for an accelerated payment. 

Example: A student attending a continuous enrollment semester-based school enrolled for 12 credits (three are remedial) for the summer term and enrolled for 12 credits (three are remedial) during the Fall term. The student earned 18 credits in their program of study in two consecutive terms and was enrolled full-time during the Fall term. The student in this example will be eligible for accelerated study for the Spring term.

Corequisite courses:

Many colleges are developing corequisite courses that include both credit-bearing courses that are part of students’ program of study, along with remedial courses that are taken at the same time to provide support and build skills. To meet accelerated study requirements as stated above, students must earn 18 credits in their program of study, and the remedial portion of the corequisite courses cannot exceed three credits per term at a semester-based institution (or two credits per trimester/quarter).

NYS Education Law provides that, for students who are disabled as defined by the Americans with Disability Act of 1990, "the full-time attendance requirement is eliminated. Such disabled students may be in part-time attendance, as defined by the commissioner, in order to be eligible to receive payments." 

The Regulations of the Commissioner of Education indicate that for a student with a disability, "part-time study or attendance shall mean enrollment... for at least three but less than 12 semester hours per semester or the equivalent, or at least two but less than eight semester hours per quarter." 

ADA Part-time TAP recipients must meet all TAP eligibility requirements. Prior to the 2015-16 academic year, good academic standing was determined using the same satisfactory academic progress standard used for Aid for Part-time Study—that was, for each ADA Part-time TAP award, a recipient had two semesters to meet the progress standard. Beginning with the 2015-16 academic year, a new paragraph was added to NYS Education Law to establish standards of academic progress for students with disabilities who are TAP eligible and attending college part-time in accordance with Commissioner's regulations. It also provides that upon each certification, payment eligibility shall be determined and measured proportionally in equivalence with full-time study for students who are disabled as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act. 

That is, institutions will use the number of TAP payment points a student has received to evaluate good academic standing. To clarify, an ADA student attending part-time will have two or more terms before they need to be evaluated at the next level of the SAP chart. NOTE: because an ADA student receives partial payments, round the points down to the nearest number of full payments to evaluate good academic standing. Program Pursuit is the same as for full-time students. 

Example: At a semester-based school, student A has previously received the equivalent of 3 TAP payments (18 TAP payment points). Student A will not have to be evaluated for the next placement on the chart until they have taken the equivalent of 12 credits and accrued 6 additional TAP points.

There are no regulatory requirements for admissions, and each institution establishes its own requirements for admission to various programs and levels of study. Most institutions require a high school diploma from a recognized school providing secondary education or the recognized equivalent for admission. However, NYS Education Law Section 661 imposes a basic entrance requirement for eligibility for state student financial aid. 

Beginning with 2007-08, to be eligible for a majority of State-administered financial aid programs, a first time student must have a certificate of graduation from a school providing secondary education from a state within the United States; or the recognized equivalent of such certificate; or received a passing score on a federally approved ability to benefit test that has been identified by the board of regents and has been independently administered and evaluated as defined by the commissioner and that demonstrates the student can benefit from the education being offered. 

There are differing requirements regarding secondary education for students whose first year was 1996-97 through 2006-07, and separately for 2006-07. Details can be found in the citation below. Please also see TAP Coach topics for High School Diploma, High School Equivalency, Homeschooled Students, and Ability to Benefit (ATB).

Prior to 2006-07, a student’s signed and notarized affidavit was acceptable to substantiate the completion of secondary education when original documents were lost or unavailable due to extraordinary circumstances such as war or other circumstances beyond the student’s control. 

However, effective July 1, 2006, students who are unable to provide evidence of a high school diploma from a school providing secondary education within the United States* or the recognized equivalent must pass an ability-to-benefit test approved by the New York Board of Regents and independently administered as defined by the Commissioner of Education for State-administered financial aid programs. Learn about Approved ATB tests.

* Within the United States means in a State, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, or the Republic of Palau.

As of the 2025-26 academic year, Aid for Part-time Study has been consolidated with the NYS Parttime Tuition Assistance Program (PT TAP). As such, part-time students will complete the FASFA and TAP applications. Awards will initially be calculated as a full-time TAP award and final awards will be based on actual tuition and credits reported by the college during the certification process.

In the context of State-administered financial aid, applicable courses mean those courses that apply to or are an integral part of the student’s program of study. To count in the determination of the student’s minimum full-time or part-time course load, a course must apply to the student’s program as a general education requirement, a major requirement, or elective (whether restricted or free elective). 

The requirement regarding applicable courses is derived from the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education. See also the topic for “full-time study” for additional information pertaining to the requirement that courses be applicable to the student’s program of study. The inclusion of remedial and or corequisite coursework may be included in the full-time study requirement. Please see topics related to those programs for additional information. 

There are exceptions for certain circumstances to this requirement:

• The second to final and the final term of study. If a student needs fewer than the minimum number of credits to be full-time in the last or second-to-last term prior to graduation, the student can take additional courses to make up a full-time course load. See TAP Guidance, Last Semester of Eligibility.
• Waiver of full-time study requirement
  • NYS Education Department (SED) Waiver of full-time study memo
  • Guidance on waivers of full-time study requirement for select scholarship programs (Per Amendment of Section 145-2.1 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education)

Students can take additional courses over and above the minimum course load requirements to enrich their college studies and not affect aid eligibility.

Because the acceptability of the courses that make up the student’s minimum course load is critical to the student’s eligibility, it is important that those college personnel involved in advising the student about course selection be familiar with this requirement. 

See also TAP Coach topics: “Remedial /Non-credit Study,” “Remedial Definition for SAP,” and “Corequisite Course.”

HESC provides the following application pathway for applicants who meet citizenship requirements for the FAFSA but donotwish to file due to privacyconcerns.Students shouldbe madeaware that if they choose the alternate eligibility path, they may be eligible for many NYS-administered financialaidprograms but will not receive federal aid if they do not complete the FAFSA. Alternate Pathway students also do not qualify for the Excelsior nor the ETA scholarships as per NYS Education Law, which outlines those programs as FAFSA-requiredwhen students areeligible to file a FAFSA. 

Students must meet the following eligibility criteria to be able to apply through the alternate eligibility pathway: 

• Citizen or eligible non-citizen
• NYS resident

Students who meet the above criteria will follow the steps below (Alternate Eligibility Application Guide): 

1. Visit hesc.ny.gov/altpath and click "Apply"
2. Register a new account or log in
3. Click “Add New Application” button
4. Complete Path Determination Questionnaire
5. Submit Alternative Eligibility Pathway Application
6. After the Alternative Eligibility Application is approved, submit your TAP application
7. Accept TAP award after it has been approved. Approval takes up to two weeks
8. Continue submitting other financial aid applications, such as the STEM Scholarship
9. Check email for questions and/or updates about your applications

Students can log in to their account portal to see their application status.

HESC provides a pathway for students who do not meet citizenship and/or New York State residency requirements for the FAFSA-TAP electronic application pathway. 

Students must meet the following eligibility criteria to be able to apply through the DREAM Act pathway:

• Immigration status o T-Visa or U-Visa o Temporary Protected Status (TPS) o Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) o Without lawful immigration status o US citizens or Eligible non-citizens whose permanent home is outside of NYS
• Educational background
  • Graduated from a NYS high school, having attended high school in NYS for two or more years
    • Students must enroll for undergraduate study at an NYS college within 5 years of receiving their NYS high school diploma or equivalency.
  • Hold a NYS high school equivalency diploma
    • Students must enroll for undergraduate study at an NYS college within 5 years of receiving their NYS high school diploma or equivalency.
  • Be charged in-state tuition at SUNY or CUNY for a reason other than NYS residency

Students who meet the above criteria will follow the steps below (DREAM Act Eligibility Application Guide): 

1. Visit hesc.ny.gov/DREAM and click "Apply"
2. Register a new account or log in
3. Click “Add new application” button
4. Complete Path Determination Questionnaire
5. Submit DREAM Act Eligibility Application
6. After DREAM Act Application is approved, submit your TAP application
7. Accept TAP award after it has been approved. Approval takes up to two weeks
8. Continue submitting other financial aid applications, such as theExcelsior Scholarship
9. Check email for questions and/or updates about your applications

Students can log in to their account portal to see their application status.

To be eligible for State student aid programs, a student must be matriculated in an approved program at a participating institution in New York State and meet eligibility requirements for each State-administered financial aid program they apply for. A TAP application must be completed each year for which an award is sought. For State-administered scholarships, an application must be completed once, and a NYS Payment application (AKA TAP application) must be completed each year. 

To receive any state-sponsored award or scholarship, students must submit a TAP/NYS Payment application to HESC by June 30 of the academic year, and if applicable, the scholarship application by the designated deadline, which varies by program for which assistance is sought. 

TAP application - Electronic Process 

NY residents can apply for both federal and state financial aid using a single online session. After completing the electronic FAFSA at studentaid.gov, NYS residents who include at least one NYS institution can link to TAP on the Web from the FAFSA summary page, enter their ID and password, and complete their TAP application. For applicants who have completed a TAP application in a prior year, certain fields will present historical data from HESC’s system, which should be verified and updated if applicable. Students who miss the link to the TAP application from the FAFSA should wait three days and then sign into the TAP application on HESC’s website using their ID and password, complete the application, and submit. 

Students can update information on the original application or report information not previously reported by submitting either:

• Request for information—This is a form that HESC sends via email to students requesting information not reported on the application. Students can use it to change any information on the application or to withdraw a financial independence claim.
• Change form—HESC sends students an award notification via email (or postcard if no email address is available). Students can make changes online to update information previously reported, to supply missing information, or to withdraw a financial independence claim. 

See also TAP Coach topics for “Application Procedure (DREAM Act Pathway)” and “Application Procedure (Alternative Eligibility Pathway)”

To be eligible for State-administered financial aid, a student must be matriculated in an approved program. Approved programs are defined in NYS Education Law 601(4) and 8 NY CRR Section 145- 2.3(b) of the Regulations of the Commissioner and, once registered (approved), are listed in the Inventory of Registered Programs--NYS Education Department. There are separate requirements for “Approved Programs for Nondegree PT TAP for Workforce Development Programs in NYS EDN 667 c (see TAP Coach topic) and a combination of SED-approved programs and approved vocational training programs for NYS Veterans Tuition Awards (VTA) NYS EDN 669 a.

“Approved program” for the purpose of determining a student’s eligibility for NYS-administered financial aid awards provided in articles 13 and 14 and sections of NYS Education Law, provides that the following programs of study approved by the commissioner and registered by the state education department or, where applicable, registered by the state department of health and forwarded to the state education department:

1. Collegiate-level programs leading to a degree, or programs leading to a diploma or certificate that are fully creditable towards a degree program in that institution;
2. Study and training programs offered by a hospital school, a community college, a unit of the state university of New York, a unit of the city university of New York, or an institution chartered by the regents or by the legislature for the purpose of granting degrees, leading to licensure as a professional registered or practical nurse or to certification in an area of medical or health technology; and
3. Two-year programs offered in a registered private business school.

Based on this statute, the Commissioner defined approved programs in section 145-2.3(b) of regulations:

Approved programs, for general and academic performance awards other than Nondegree Parttime TAP for Workforce Development Programs and vocational training programs for Veterans Tuition awards, where authorized and specified by statute, shall be defined as follows:

1. Collegiate-level programs shall denote those programs registered by the State Education Department under Section 52.2 of this chapter or other appropriate regulation applying to a program leading to a degree, or leading to a diploma or certificate fully creditable towards a degree in an institution authorized to grant degrees. Approved diploma and certificate programs shall be of at least one academic year’s duration. (Note: one academic year’s duration is interpreted to mean programs consisting of at least 24 semester hour credits or the equivalent.) Programs registered under Section 52.22 of this Title shall not be considered collegiate-level programs. Further, postdoctoral programs leading to specialty certification, such as in psychoanalysis or orthodonture, shall not be considered diploma or certificate programs within the intent of articles 13 and 14 of the NYS Education Law.
2. Non-collegiate programs. (i) Hospital programs of professional nursing. Such programs shall denote programs registered by the State Education Department under paragraph (a)(1) of Section 52.12 of this chapter as programs offered by a hospital nursing school and approved by the Regents as leading to licensure as a registered professional nurse. (ii) Other health-related programs. Such programs shall denote other programs that lead to licensure as a licensed practical nurse registered by the State Education Department under paragraph (a)(2) of Section 52.12 of this Chapter, or to certification in an area of medical or health technology, and that are registered, licensed, or approved by the State Education Department or by the State Health Department. (iii) Two-year programs in registered private business schools. Such programs shall denote programs of at least 1440 instructional hours’ duration that are offered by private business schools not authorized to grant degrees and that are registered by the State Education Department under Part 126 of this Title.

Approved programs at degree-granting institutions are compiled in the State Education Department’s official Inventory of Registered Programs. Institutions can locate their section of the Inventory and review the list of their approved programs. Information about whether the programs are eligible for State student aid is included in detail for each program. 

A basic audit question is whether a TAP recipient is enrolled in an approved program. Auditors from the Office of the State Comptroller use the Inventory of Registered Programs to make that determination. To minimize or eliminate possible audit disallowances, institutions are cautioned to confirm that their program offerings and catalog descriptions are consistent with the way the programs are recorded in the Inventory of Registered Programs. If there are any discrepancies, the institution should bring them to the attention of the State Education Department for resolution. Certifying officers should also ensure that for each aid recipient, there is an official registration record of the approved program in which the student is enrolled. 

If aid recipients are enrolled in a program for which there is no record of State Education Department registration, there is the potential for an audit disallowance of all funds to students in the unregistered program. 

Although the statutory requirement of matriculation in an approved program applies from the beginning of a student’s studies, it is common for students to defer officially declaring a major until they have a better idea of their educational and career goals. In such instances, students are generally taking courses in a variety of disciplines that form the basis of the initial years of study of a number of different degree programs. Therefore, institutions can consider matriculated students who delay deciding on their major to be enrolled in one or more of an institution’s approved (registered) programs.

However, for financial aid purposes, students enrolled in a 2-year program must declare a major within 30 days of the end of the institution’s drop/add period in their sophomore year. Students enrolled in a 4-year program must declare a major within 30 days of the end of the drop/add period in their junior year. Students are, of course, free to change their majors after these points, but should be advised not to change their major mid-term or they may risk losing financial aid.