Education & Student Aid · Surprise rank #270
Taking Just 3 Credits? New York Tuition Aid Now Covers Part-Time Students Too
New York's Tuition Assistance Program used to require full-time enrollment. Part-Time TAP now pays grants to students taking as few as three credits a semester, and it never has to be repaid.
Who
New York residents of at least 12 continuous months (or students qualifying under the NYS DREAM Act or the Alternate Eligibility Path) who are matriculated in an approved degree program and taking a part-time course load. This is aimed squarely at working adults, parents and caregivers who cannot manage a full-time schedule.
Where: New York State — any eligible degree-granting college in the state, including all SUNY, CUNY and participating not-for-profit independent colleges.
What to do
Start here: Complete the FAFSA at studentaid.gov; on the confirmation page follow the link for New York residents to the TAP application. If you miss that link, apply directly at hesc.ny.gov. Then confirm with your college's financial aid office that they are certifying you for Part-Time TAP at your actual credit count.
Eligibility: NYS net taxable income cannot exceed $125,000 for dependent students, $60,000 for married students with no dependents, or $30,000 for independent single students with no dependents. You must be a NYS resident for 12 continuous months (or DREAM Act eligible), be matriculated in an approved program at an eligible degree-granting NYS college, be taking 3-11 credits per semester that count toward your degree, have a high school diploma or equivalent, and not have exhausted your TAP eligibility points.
What you get
Part-Time TAP is a grant, not a loan, that helps cover tuition for students enrolled in 3 to 11 credits per semester (4 to 7 per trimester or quarter) at a degree-granting college in New York State. HESC prorates the full-time TAP award based on how many credits you actually take. The 2025-26 state budget folded three older part-time aid programs — Aid for Part-Time Study (APTS), the Part-Time Scholarship award program, and the old Part-Time TAP — into this single program, and lowered the credit floor from six credits to three.
Benefit: A prorated TAP grant based on your credit load and tuition liability. Full-time TAP runs from $1,000 to $5,665 a year, and the part-time award is a proportional share of that.
Possible value: Typically several hundred to roughly $2,800 per year depending on credits, tuition and income — a student taking 6 of 12 credits would be prorated to about half the full-time award. The money goes against tuition and does not have to be repaid.
Good to know
Important: Two practical traps. First, TAP eligibility is measured in 'points' and you can use up to 12 points a year — taking heavier part-time loads burns points faster and can leave you short in a later term, so ask your financial aid office how your points are being used. Second, only credits that count toward your degree program are eligible, so electives outside your program and some remedial courses may not be counted. Campus staff at some colleges still refer to the old APTS program by name during the transition; ask specifically about Part-Time TAP.
Availability: Active; applications open for both the 2025-26 and 2026-27 academic years. The three-credit minimum took effect for certification on October 22, 2025.
Why people miss it: For decades TAP was known as full-time-only aid, so working adults taking one or two classes never bother applying — and the recent expansion to three credits has had almost no public publicity.
Sources reviewed: Aug 10, 2026