How do New or Prospective Students apply?
File a FAFSA
Apply for most types of federal and state financial aid by filling out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

File Your FAFSA On the Web
The U.S. Department of Education prefers that students and families use FAFSA on the Web to apply for federal student aid. Electronic filing is the fastest, easiest and most accurate way for you to apply. FAFSA on the Web guides you through the questions you need to answer and stops you if you miss a required item or enter an invalid answer. This helps insure that your application is completed properly.

Get and Use Your Federal PIN
You (and one of your parents, if required) should get a Federal Personal Identification Number, or PIN and use your PINs to sign your FAFSA electronically. Request a PIN at: www.pin.ed.gov. You will be able to view your PIN instantly online or have it sent to you immediately by email.

Provide a Valid E-mail Address
If you provide a valid e-mail address when you file your application, you will receive an e-mail with a URL to access your application results. If you and your parents used a PIN to sign your FAFSA and there are no other problems with your application information, you may receive this e-mail notification in as little as 24-72 hours.

If You Don't Use a PIN
If you or one of your parents does not sign your FAFSA on the Web using a PIN, you must print and mail a signature page to the federal processor to confirm the validity of the information provided on your application.

We recommend that you and a parent use PINs to sign your FAFSA on the Web instead of printing and mailing a signature page. Having to mail a signature page can significantly lengthen application processing time by several weeks.

What Do I Do Next?
When you have finished entering your application data and have submitted your FAFSA, you will arrive at a Confirmation Page that will give you a confirmation # and and an estimate of your federal aid eligibility. You should print a copy of this page for your records along with a copy of your application information.

File Your New York State TAP On the Web Application
Click on the link for New York State residents located below the federal confirmation # on the Confirmation page. You will be linked to TAP on the Web. This allows you to file for New York State tuition assistance programs for full-time and part-time students.

[Note: if you are not a New York State resident, this option will not be available to you.]

Your federal PIN serves as your signature for the electronic TAP application. If you (or your parent) did not use a PIN to sign your online FAFSA, your FAFSA signature page satisfies the TAP signature requirement.

If you do not complete the TAP on the Web application when you file your FAFSA on the Web, you will be sent an email or postcard with a link to an electronic TAP on the Web application after your FAFSA is processed.

Can I File Using Paper Applications?
You may, if you prefer, apply for federal financial aid by completing and mailing a paper FAFSA. Download a current year paper FAFSA here. Processing of a mailed paper FAFSA can take from 4-6 weeks.

After your paper FAFSA is processed, you will be sent an email or postcard with a link to a TAP on the Web application. Check to see that BMCC [TAP School Code 1404] is listed as your college of choice.