Tuition Assistance Program (TAP)
Academic Certification

For more detailed information on the New York State TAP Program, read pages 38-39 in the Financial Information section of the 2007-2009 Undergraduate Bulletin.

In order to receive a TAP award the applicant must

• Be a New York State resident and a U.S. citizen, permanent resident alien, paroled refugee, or conditional admittant to the U.S.
• Be enrolled full-time and matriculated in an approved New York State postsecondary institution and program. 12 credits minimum required for Undergraduate and Graduate students certification.
• declare a major by the 15th-day of the semester (Fall/Spring) of the term in which they are considered to be of JUNIOR STATUS. Class status is determined by the amount of credits accumulated, not by the amount of time in residence. Please note that an Area of Interest, an AOI, is NOT a valid program major. *NOTE TO TRANSFER STUDENTS: Declaring a major on your Application for Admission does not automatically guarantee that you have been admitted into a program major. You must go to the academic department to be approved into a major. A major declaration form must be completed, approved by the department and returned to the Registrar’s Office for processing.

Students meeting all of the academic certification requirements for TAP are eligible for a maximum of eight semesters of awards. EOP/AIM students are eligible for ten semesters of awards.

In addition, the New York State Education Department has issued academic guidelines governing eligibility for the TAP program. Under these regulations, students must meet minimum academic achievement requirements in order to receive payment of awards. According to these regulations, good academic standing consists of two elements (see pages 35-36 for more detail):

• Satisfactory academic progress
• Pursuit of Program
  
  Please note that students with Incomplete or missing grades can not be certified because their academic standing cannot be determined. If a student has an Incomplete or missing grade their TAP certification will be pended until the grades are completed.
  
  Students who must declare their major for TAP Certification, must file by the deadline date outlined in the semester academic calendar. Select the calendar link on our website to review the academic calendar.