a New York
State funded grant program that helps pay the tuition of
eligible
full-time and part-time students. If you receive a TAP award,
the money comes directly to the College for payment of your
tuition.
What are the
eligibility requirements?
To be eligible for TAP, you must:
 |
Be a legal resident of New York State (that
is, you must have lived in the State for at least one
year prior to the first term for which you are seeking
payment). |
|
Be a US citizen, permanent resident or hold
an I-94 visa as a refugee, paroled refugee or conditional
entrant (see Financial
Aid Eligibility for Non-Citizens). |
|
Be matriculated (enrolled in a program leading
to a degree). |
|
Be enrolled full-time, that is, enrolled
for at least 12 credits or equated credits that meet the
requirements of your curriculum/major. In your first TAP
semester, you must have at least 3 degree credits as part
of your full-time course load. After your first semester,
you must have at least 6 degree credits as part of your
full-time course load. |
|
Be enrolled part-time in at least 6 but
fewer than 12 equated credits with at least 3 of these
being degree credits. To receive Part-Time TAP (or PTAP),
you must have earned 12 degree credits in each of the 2 consecutive semesters immediately preceding the term for which you request your first PTAP payment. You must also have at least a 2.0 GPA. PTAP will be available only to students
who were first-time Freshmen in Fall 2006 or later. No PTAP awards will be made until the 2007-2008 academic year. |
|
Remain in good academic standing for New
York State financial aid programs by meeting Academic
Progress standards and demonstrating Program
Pursuit each semester you receive TAP (see the TAP
Progress Chart). |
|
Meet the economic criteria described here. |
|
Have a high school diploma from a U.S. high school, a recognized GED certificate, or receive
a passing score on an approved ability-to-benefit
test. |
|
Be free of debt from any defaulted student
loan that HESC guaranteed. |
How
do I apply?
If you have never applied for TAP before, follow the instructions
on our How Do New Students
Apply? page.
If you are a continuing student, follow the
instructions on our How
Do Returning or Continuing Students Re-apply? page.
If you are transferring to or from BMCC after having applied
for TAP for the current award year, you should remember to
change your TAP College Code at TAP on the Web so that your TAP award follows you to your
new school.
NOTE: You can only
file a TAP Change Form to change information already provided
on your initial TAP Application. You cannot use a TAP Change
Form to apply for or renew NYS State Award information.
How do I know if I
receive TAP?
About 4 to 6 weeks after submitting your application, you
will receive either by mail or email an award certificate from New York State Higher
Education Services Corporation (HESC). This certificate will
indicate the amount of TAP you can expect to receive at BMCC
each term. HESC also notifies the college of your TAP award so you don't have to return anything to the college.
If you have not heard
from TAP after 6 to 8 weeks, you may use HESC's TAP
application status check. You may also check your TAP
award status on PANTHER -- the online student information system. Access PANTHER from
the BMCC Home Page. Note: PANTHER will not display your TAP award as a credit against your tuition if you are not meeting TAP enrollment or academic progress requirements (see below).
What does receiving
a TAP Award Certificate mean?
HESC issues an award certificate to every applicant who meets
the eligibility criteria for TAP as reflected by a correctly
filled out application. However, before a TAP award can be
credited to your BMCC account for any given semester, the
College will first determine whether or not you meet the State's
requirements for full-time or part-time enrollment and good
academic standing. If you do not meet one or more of the school-based
criteria for TAP eligibility, you will not be able to use
your TAP award for that term.
How much TAP or PTAP can I
receive each semester?
The amount of TAP you receive depends on
your family income, the number of family members attending
college full-time, the number of semesters you have received
TAP, and the size of the annual appropriation for the program.
Maximum TAP awards can be equal to but not greater than the
full tuition charge at BMCC. State budgetary restrictions
can further limit TAP awards to a portion of your tuition.
A PTAP award will be based on your part-time credit load and
will be calculated as a proportional fraction of the normal
full-time TAP award.
For how many semesters
can I receive TAP?
You may receive TAP for up to 6
semesters (or the equivalent) as an associate degree student.
You will be limited to 6 semesters of TAP even if you change
majors or transfer to another community college.
When you enroll in a 4 year college program
at a senior college, you will become eligible for an additional
2 full-time semesters of TAP bringing your undergraduate total
to 8 semesters.
If you are enrolled in a special program,
such as College Discovery, you may receive up to 10 semesters
(or the equivalent) of TAP as an undergraduate. CD students
are not subject to the 6 semester limitation for associate
degree students, but must have special program eligibility
remaining in order to receive additional TAP payments at BMCC.
Will TAP pay the tuition
for my summer classes?
Yes, if you meet certain requirements.
First, you must file a TAP-on-the-Web Application and request
payment for the summer term. In order to calculate your award
eligibility, all periods of summer attendance will be added
together to form a single summer term.
The enrollment requirements
for a summer TAP award are relatively stringent (see especially #3 below):
| 1. |
If your combined summer session enrollment
totals 12 or more credits (with at least 6 degree credits),
you may be considered full-time for TAP enrollment purposes.
If you receive a full-time summer TAP award, you will
utilize one full semester of your remaining TAP eligibility. |
| 2. |
If your combined summer session enrollment
totals at least 6 but fewer than 12 equated credits, you
may be able to receive a TAP payment for half-time
study. You must be registered for at least 3 degree
credits as part of your summer course load. If you receive a half-time summer TAP award, you will utlize one-half semester of your remaining TAP eligibility. |
| 3. |
You must have earned at least 24 degree credits in the 2 semesters immediately prior to the summer term to qualify for either a full-time or a half-time summer TAP award. These credits could have been earned in any combination (12 + 12, 8 + 16, etc.). Also, only up to three credits of enrollment in each of the two prior semesters may consist of non-credit equated hours. |
Information about summer TAP awards
may not always be available in time for summer term registration/bill
payment. In the event that this information is not available,
you may have to pay your tuition from other resources and receive
a refund from the College at a later time.
All use of TAP during the summer counts against your remaining
TAP eligibility. You may receive no more than 6 full semester
TAP payments at a community college.
Can I get TAP for
repeating a course?
If you repeat a course that you
previously passed, you may not count the repeated course
towards full-time enrollment for TAP purposes. This means
that in order to receive TAP in a semester where you may be
repeating a course you passed previously, you must have, in
addition to the repeated course, at least 12 credits or equated
credits of non-repeated courses.
Remember that all courses that make up your minimum 12 credit full-time enrollment for TAP purposes must count for your degree.
If you repeat a course that you previously
failed, you may include that course towards full-time enrollment
for TAP purposes.
Can I get TAP for
remedial courses?
Remedial courses may be counted
towards either full-time or part time enrollment for TAP purposes.
However, to qualify for TAP, you must always be registered
for a certain number of degree credit courses. Click
here to review TAP enrollment requirements.
What happens if I
fall to meet the New York State Good Academic Standing requirements?
If you do not meet the New York
State good academic standing requirements in any semester
you receive TAP, you will lose your eligibility for TAP, PTAP,
APTS and other New York State award programs. Further payments
of these awards to you will be stopped.
Can I regain good
academic standing for TAP?
Yes. You can regain good academic
standing and restore your eligibility for New York State award
programs by any one of the following procedures:
|
Combine two or more semesters'
work, provided that only one of those semesters is paid
for through New York State support. |
|
Be readmitted to BMCC
after a leave of absence of at least one calendar year.
|
|
Transfer to another college.
There, you will be eligible to receive New York State
awards your first semester. |
|
Apply to the Committee
on Academic Standing for a one-time TAP/APTS waiver.
If the waiver is approved, you may continue your studies
without interruption of New York State program assistance.
|
How do I apply for
a TAP/APTS waiver?
If you feel you may be eligible
for a TAP/APTS waiver, you must follow these instructions:
| 1. |
Obtain a TAP/APTS Waiver Request Form from
the Bursar's Office, Rm. S-320. |
| 2. |
Provide an explanation of your circumstances
on the request form. You should attempt to document all
pertinent facts related to your case. The final decision
will be based on the documentation received. |
| 3. |
See a Student Life Counselor, Rm. S-330
to help you fill out the form and advise you on what documentation
you may need. Make sure the counselor signs and dates
the form. |
| 4. |
Obtain faculty statements, if necessary,
and attach them to the request. Faculty statements should
be submitted by persons whom you feel will help the Committee
on Academic Standing better understand your case. |
| 5. |
Sign, date and return your request, with
all supporting documentation, to the Registrar's Office,
Rm. S-310. |
| 6. |
After your request has been acted upon by
the Committee, you will be notified of the action taken
on your case by means of a letter to your home address. |
What are the possible
reasons for being granted a TAP/APTS waiver?
| Personal Criteria
|
| - |
Personal illness involving either hospitalization
or extended home confinement under a physician's supervision. |
| - |
Illness in the immediate family (of origin
or generation) forcing you to be absent from class for
an extended period. |
| - |
Emotionally disabling conditions which force
you to miss class for an extended period. |
| - |
Changing work conditions beyond your control
and upon which you or your family must depend forcing
you to leave classes. |
| - |
Inability to attend classes because of military
duty orders, temporary incarceration, or other involvement
with agencies of government (local, state or federal). |
| Academic Criteria |
| - |
A change in major causes
you to fall behind in the pursuit of program requirement
although prior to this your academic performance was sound.
|
| - |
You have consistently
met the minimum academic performance standards but, for
one semester, do not meet them. An assessment of your
academic record indicates that granting you a waiver will
be to your benefit. |
What happens if I
get a TAP/APTS waiver?
If you are granted a TAP/APTS waiver, you
can continue to be eligible for New York State tuition assistance
for that semester only. In order to continue to be eligible
in any following semester, you must again begin to meet the
Academic
Progress and Program
Pursuit requirements as stated in the TAP
Progress Chart for the payment indicated. Remember: you
may be granted a waiver from the New York State academic standing
requirements only once!
I have transferred
to BMCC from another college. Will my previous use of TAP
effect my eligibility at BMCC?
Yes. First, you cannot receive more than
6 semesters of TAP as an associate degree student regardless
of the number of schools you attend. Also, if you received
TAP previously at any other college or post secondary institution,
you must have at least 6 degree credits as part of your full-time
course load at this College. If you must take remedial courses
at BMCC after having used TAP elsewhere, you must plan your
program carefully to meet the TAP 6 degree credit enrollment
requirement. Finally, you will be placed on the TAP
Progress Chart either by the number of credits the College
accepts or by the number of TAP payments you have already
received, whichever option would most benefit you. |
