Eligibility Requirements for New York State Student Aid

1. Eligibility Requirements for New York State Student Aid

2. U.S. Citizen or Eligible Noncitizen • All New York State (NYS) student aid programs have citizenship requirements • HESC uses criteria for federal student aid programs to determine eligibility

3. NYS Resident • Student must be a legal resident of NYS for at least 12 months prior to the start of the term • Student resides in NYS and intends to make the State his/her permanent home • Solely living within NYS does not demonstrate residency • Living in NYS solely to attend a postsecondary institution does not, in itself, establish legal residence

4. Legal Residency - Dependent Students • Student's legal residence is considered to be that of the parents • If parents are separated or divorced, the legal residence is considered that of the custodial parent • If student's parents reside out of state, as reported on the FAFSA, student is considered to reside out of state • Student may appeal a residency decision by submitting a New York State Residence Review Questionnaire to HESC for review

5. Legal Residency - Members of Armed Forces, Spouses & Dependents • A student who was a legal resident of NYS when entering into the service and has maintained that legal residence while in the service is considered to be a NYS resident • If student is the spouse or dependent of a member of the armed forces who is a legal resident of NYS but stationed out of state, student meets the residency requirement regardless of how long the member of military has been absent from NYS while on active duty

6. Legal Residency - Members of Armed Forces, Spouses & Dependents • If student is not a legal resident but stationed on full-time active duty in NYS, residency requirement is waived • Student must submit official documentation confirming full-time active duty status and station • Spouses and dependents are eligible if the above criteria are met • Student must submit official documentation confirming both the full-time active duty status and station of the member of the armed forces and the student's status as spouse or dependent of that person

7. Income Limits • A student must meet income eligibility limitations: • Dependent undergraduate students or independent students who are married and have tax dependents, or independent students who are unmarried and have tax dependents - $80,000 NYS taxable income. • Independent undergraduate students who are married and have no other tax dependents - $40,000 NYS taxable income. • Single independent undergraduate students with no tax dependents - $10,000 NYS taxable income.

8. High School (or equivalent ) Requirement • The student must have graduated from high school in the United States, earned a high school equivalency diploma through a Test Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC), formally known as GED, or passed a federally approved "Ability to Benefit" test as defined by the Commissioner of the State Education Department

9. High School (or equivalent) Requirement • Home schooled students must demonstrate their eligibility for NYS financial aid: • Obtain a letter from local school district officials confirming that the student has received an education “substantially equivalent” to instruction given to students graduating high school in the public schools; or • Take and pass the TASC; or • Achieve a satisfactory score on an approved ability-to-benefit test

10. Approved Ability to Benefit Tests • Accuplacer • ASSET • COMPASS • CELSA (Combined English Language Skills Assessment) • Approved providing the applicant also takes a math component from one of the other approved tests

11. Default • A student must not be in default of a federal or State student loan and not be in default of any repayment of state awards

12. Full-time Requirement • Student must be enrolled full time, taking 12 or more credits, applicable toward the degree program, per semester to receive FT TAP • Credit-bearing courses must be a general education requirement, a major requirement, or specified or free elective • Credit-bearing courses not integral to student’s program of study cannot be included as part of the minimum full-time (or part-time) study requirement • Up to the equivalent of 6 semester hours in remedial, noncredit study can be included as part of the minimum semester full-time course load • First semester, a remedial student’s minimum full-time course load need include only 3 semester hours of credit-bearing course work

13. C-Average Requirement • Student must have at least a cumulative 2.0 average after receipt of two annual payments of TAP

14. Matriculated at Approved Postsecondary Institution in NYS • Institution must be approved by the NYS Education Department orby the NYS Department of Health • Students must be matriculated in an approved program of study and be in good academic standing

15. Tuition Requirement • Student must be charged at least $200 in tuition per year

16. Thank you!

17. HESC Priority Services 866-431-4372 or priorityservices@HESC.ny.gov