New York State Aid Programs

Eligible students are entitled to 48 state aid “points” with 6 points assessed for full-time TAP awards and prorated points for part-time awards (TAP paid to part-time ADA-eligible students, part-time TAP, and APTS) for their entire academic career. Students are eligible for up to six semesters of TAP (or use of 36 points) over the course of their undergraduate studies at a two-year institution and up to eight semesters at a four-year institution. To be eligible for the NYS TAP Grant, students must be enrolled in required courses for their primary degree only. Full time status is no longer a requirement to receive these funds.

To assure your continued receipt of NYS aid (grants and scholarships), you must meet two separate criteria according to NYS standards: academic progress and pursuit of program. These criteria are independent of each other, therefore, if you do not meet the minimum requirements on both charts, you will be ineligible to receive a state award. The following chart applies to all non-remedial students who received their first TAP award on or after July 1, 2010. The SUNY Adirondack Financial Aid Office will evaluate remedial students and students who received their first TAP award prior to July 1, 2010 under the prior chart.

Academic Progress

Prior to approval for this NYS Payment	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th
Student must have earned¹ at least this many credits	0	6	15	27	39	51	63	75
With at least this GPA	.0	1.3	1.5	1.8	2.0	2.0	2.0	2.0

Important notes concerning the chart above:

¹Earned means passed with a grade of A to D-, including transfer credits and credits received by exam.

Students who have transferred to SUNY Adirondack will have their record re-evaluated for beneficial placement. Under this provision of NYS aid regulations, you are placed on the progress chart based either on credits that apply to your current major, or on your payment number, whichever is to your benefit. While this does not change the number of payments you may receive, it does lower the progress requirements you must meet for your remaining payments. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that transfer students have their transcripts submitted to the Office of the Registrar as early as possible for evaluation. This applies even if you do not anticipate receiving credit for your prior coursework. A student can also regain state aid eligibility with an absence from college for one calendar year or more.

Pursuit of Program

Prior to approval for this NYS Payment	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th
A student who registered for 12 or more credits in the previous semester must have completed² at least this number of credits	0	6	6	9	9	12
And a student who registered for 6 to 11 credits in the previous semester must have completed² this percentage of those credits	0	50%	50%	75%	75%	100%

Important notes concerning the chart above:

²Grade other than W, X, or I.

Placement on the pursuit of program chart is made solely upon the number of payments you receive.
Credits which result in W, X, or I do not count toward the pursuit requirement. Audited credits do not count toward the pursuit requirement.
Repeated courses with a previous grade of A to D- do not count toward load or completed credits unless required by the student’s degree program (e.g., Nursing majors must receive a C+ or better in all nursing courses).

Appeal of Academic Progress and Pursuit of Program Requirements

If you were unable to meet the academic progress and/or pursuit of program requirements in these charts, you may submit an appeal to the appeals committee via the Financial Aid Office. To be considered for an appeal, extenuating circumstances must have contributed to your inability to maintain the required standards such as a family illness, death or crisis, and include how the student plans to improve his/her academic performance going forward. If a NYS appeal is received for any reason other than for not maintaining a 2.0 cumulative GPA after four semesters of TAP, then you have made use of your one-time NYS appeal.

Appeal Filing Deadlines: The appeal must be in writing and submitted to the Financial Aid Office by the end of the semester for which you're appealing.

*Regulations and funding for NYS programs is subject to change based on approval of the NYS budget.

Excelsior Scholarship Program

Introduced in fall 2017, this funding will cover the cost of tuition only for those who qualify; a separate application must be filed via NYS HESC. This is considered a 'last dollar' scholarship meaning that any federal Pell Grant, NYS TAP Grant and/or private scholarships not exclusively for non-tuition expenses need to be applied before Excelsior can cover any remaining tuition; therefore, the FAFSA & NYS TAP applications must be filed first. Students receiving enough Pell, TAP and/or private scholarship funds to cover 100% of their tuition charges are not eligible to receive the Excelsior Scholarship. General eligibility rules can be found below.

Student, as well as parents of dependent students, must be NYS residents for at least one year
U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen status
Hold a U.S. high school diploma or GED
Must attend a SUNY or CUNY campus
2021 adjusted gross income (student & parents combined) is undecided as of the publishing of this catalog; 2020 income threshold was $125,000
Must enroll in at least 12 credits per semester
Must earn 30 credits per year to maintain eligibility
Post-attendance residency: must reside in NYS after leaving college for the same number of years in which the scholarship was received
Intended for undergraduate study, first Associate’s & Bachelor’s degrees only