New York student and vocational grants: TAP, Excelsior, free community college and WIOA (2026-27)

TAP is set by New York net taxable income, not your SAI

New York does not use the Student Aid Index for TAP. HESC uses the family’s New York State net taxable income (NTI), verified with the Department of Taxation and Finance, and applies a fixed schedule set in state law ⁠²⁠¹⁵. For 2026-27 the income caps are $125,000 NTI for dependent students, independent students with tax dependents, and anyone who was an orphan, foster child or ward of the court after age 13. The caps are $60,000 for married independent students without dependents and $30,000 for single independent students without dependents ⁠¹.

Calculated from HESC Schedule Q: 7% of NTI over $7,000, then $280 plus 10% over $11,000, then $980 plus 12% over $18,000, with a $1,000 floor ⁠². Awards can never exceed tuition, and the annual award drops by $100 after four payments ⁠². The number of family members in college and when you first received TAP also affect the award; HESC’s TAP Award Estimator gives a personal figure ⁠¹.

Independent students without dependents use Schedules Y and Z, which top out at $3,525; on Schedule Z, a single student with $10,000 NTI would get about $1,355 ⁠². At certain schools offering only programs of two years or less, the maximum is $4,500 ⁠².

To qualify, you must have lived in New York for 12 continuous months before the term, be a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen (or qualify under the DREAM Act), and have a U.S. high school diploma, a high school equivalency diploma or a passing federally approved Ability to Benefit test ⁠¹. Full-time TAP requires 12 or more credits per semester in a degree program, good academic standing, and tuition of at least $200 a year ⁠¹. TAP lasts 3 years for a full-time associate degree, 4 years for a bachelor’s, and 5 years for approved five-year programs ⁠¹.

Part-Time TAP and TAP for non-degree workforce credentials

Part-time students qualify under the same income caps. Degree students taking 3 to 11 credits per semester (or 4 to 8 per trimester or quarter) at SUNY, CUNY, private nonprofit or proprietary degree-granting colleges get a TAP award prorated by credits ⁠³. Part-Time TAP requires a cumulative C average, and good academic standing waivers cannot be used to meet it ⁠³.

New York also funds non-degree vocational study. Non-degree Part-Time TAP pays students taking the equivalent of 1 to 11 credits in an approved non-degree workforce credential program at a participating SUNY or CUNY college ⁠⁴. The award is a full-time estimate adjusted for your actual credits and tuition, and you must not have used up your TAP eligibility ⁠⁴. SUNY and CUNY each publish their own lists of eligible programs ⁠⁴.

Excelsior and the Enhanced Tuition Award: tuition help with a live-and-work contract

The Excelsior Scholarship is a last-dollar tuition award. Pell, TAP and any scholarship not restricted to non-tuition costs are applied first, and Excelsior pays the remaining SUNY or CUNY resident tuition ⁠⁵. To be eligible, your household’s combined federal adjusted gross income must be $125,000 or less. You must be in an undergraduate degree program at a SUNY or CUNY college (including community colleges and the statutory colleges at Cornell and Alfred), study full-time with at least 12 credits per term, and complete 30 credits a year ⁠⁵. A pause in enrollment ends the award unless it is for a listed reason such as a family death, military duty, parental leave or a medical condition ⁠⁵.

Excelsior comes with a contract: live in New York, and work there if employed, for as many years as you received the award. Move away early and all or part becomes a no-interest loan ⁠⁵.

For 2026-27, HESC accepted new applications from May 26 to August 31, 2026, and the program is now closed for the year ⁠⁵⁠⁶. The Enhanced Tuition Award (ETA) follows the same calendar. It pays up to $6,000 toward tuition at participating private colleges, combining TAP, the ETA award and a match from the college, under the same $125,000 AGI test and the same contract ⁠⁶. Returning recipients do not reapply, but they must file the FAFSA and TAP application (or DREAM Act application) every year to be paid ⁠⁶.

Free associate degrees for ages 25 to 55 through SUNY Reconnect and CUNY Reconnect

Education Law section 6311 created the New York opportunity promise scholarship, starting in 2025-26. You must be 25 to 55 years old as of January 1 of the year you first apply, apply for TAP and Pell, and enroll at a SUNY or CUNY college in an approved associate degree program in a high-demand field, paying the resident tuition rate ⁠⁹. The law lists advanced manufacturing, technology, cybersecurity, engineering, artificial intelligence, nursing and allied health, green and renewable energy, and teaching in shortage areas. The Department of Labor may update these fields each year ⁠⁹. The award covers actual tuition, fees, books and supplies minus all other financial aid. Federal work-study and loans are not subtracted ⁠⁹. The law sets no income limit, but awards depend on state funding ⁠⁹.

To keep the award, you need at least 6 credits per semester and 12 per year, satisfactory academic progress, and continuous enrollment with no gap longer than one academic year. The award ends after 10 semesters ⁠⁹.

Until now the law barred anyone who already held a degree, except students entering nursing ⁠⁹. On October 5, 2026, the Governor announced that starting with the spring 2027 semester, which begins in January for most colleges, adults 25 to 55 can enroll even if they hold a degree in a different field. Applications open on each campus’s own schedule ⁠¹⁰.

Three ways into New York aid: FAFSA plus TAP, the DREAM Act, or the Alternate Eligibility Path

Most students file the FAFSA, which covers Pell, then the TAP application through the state link at the end. If you miss the link but listed a New York college, HESC emails TAP instructions within three to four days ⁠¹⁵.

The Senator José Peralta New York State DREAM Act opens state aid to students who are undocumented (including DACA recipients), hold T or U visas or Temporary Protected Status, or live outside New York. They must meet one of these tests ⁠⁷:

• High school: attended a New York high school for 2 or more years, graduated, and enrolled as an undergraduate within 5 years of the diploma.
• Equivalency diploma: earned a New York high school equivalency diploma and enrolled as an undergraduate within 5 years.
• In-state tuition: are charged SUNY or CUNY in-state tuition for a reason other than residency.

The Alternate Eligibility Path is for U.S. citizens and eligible noncitizens whose required FAFSA contributor, such as a parent, is not a citizen or permanent resident. It unlocks TAP and many state scholarships, but not Excelsior, ETA or any federal aid ⁠⁸. Both alternate applications are open for 2026-27 and 2027-28 ⁠⁷⁠⁸.

Pell and Workforce Pell under New York’s certification process

For July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027 the federal Pell Grant ranges from $740 to $7,395 ⁠¹².

Workforce Pell pays for short programs: at least 8 and under 15 weeks, 150 to 599 clock hours (or 4 to 15 semester credits). A program must have run for 12 months, have completion and job placement rates of at least 70%, and train for an occupation in New York’s WIOA Combined State Plan or Perkins V Plan ⁠¹¹. New York’s Workforce Pell Advisory Committee reviews programs and the Governor certifies them. Students who hold a bachelor’s degree can qualify, but graduate degree holders cannot, and you cannot receive Workforce Pell together with another Pell Grant or other federal Title IV aid ⁠¹¹. As of October 20, 2026, the state’s Workforce Pell pages do not list any certified New York programs. Confirm with the college that a program has Governor certification and federal approval.

WIOA training money through New York’s 33 local workforce areas

WIOA Title I training is run by 33 local workforce development areas. Each local board chooses training providers ⁠¹³. Adults must be at least 18. Dislocated workers are generally laid-off people unlikely to return to their old field; displaced homemakers and the self-employed may also qualify ⁠¹³. Training is paid through an Individual Training Account (ITA), and only providers and courses on the NYS Eligible Training Provider List can receive ITA funds. A listing does not guarantee that money is available. The Department of Labor tells applicants to contact a New York State Career Center to be assessed ⁠¹³.

Caps are set locally. The Monroe County/Rochester board’s policy, revised June 16, 2026, is one example ⁠¹⁴:

• Cap: up to $6,000 per ITA, when funds are available. Trade Act-eligible workers can receive more.
• Other aid first: ITAs go only to people who cannot get grant aid such as Pell from other sources.
• Length: training is normally limited to 2 years (104 weeks).
• Provider: associate degree programs must use the lowest-cost school, usually the local community college.
• Priority sectors: advanced manufacturing, healthcare and life sciences, and software and IT.

Filing for 2027-28 in New York, step by step

1. File the FAFSA and TAP together

   HESC’s TAP page already lists the 2027-28 cycle. List at least one New York college and follow the state link at the end of the FAFSA ⁠¹⁠¹⁵. If you cannot or will not file the FAFSA, use HESC’s prescreening tool and apply through the DREAM Act or Alternate Eligibility Path portal instead ⁠⁷⁠⁸.

2. Mark two kinds of deadline

   TAP for 2027-28 closes June 30, 2028 ⁠¹, but the Excelsior and ETA window for new applicants is far earlier: for 2026-27 it ran May 26 to August 31, 2026. HESC had not announced 2027-28 dates by October 20, 2026 ⁠⁶.

3. Review your HESC award notice

   Check your college code, marital and tax-filing status, and family members in college, and correct errors in your HESC account. HESC’s verified award can differ from the estimate in your college’s award letter ⁠¹⁵.

4. For a free associate degree, apply to the campus first

   Choose a participating high-demand program and file the FAFSA and TAP application, which the law requires. The college then applies the opportunity promise scholarship after other aid ⁠⁹⁠¹⁰.

5. For short-term training, go to a Career Center

   Ask which documents the center needs for WIOA eligibility, pick a course on the ETPL, and ask about the board’s ITA cap and whether the course is Workforce Pell certified ⁠¹¹⁠¹³⁠¹⁴.

6. Appeal or reapply

   If your income dropped because of disability, divorce, separation or a death, you can ask HESC to use current income for Excelsior or ETA ⁠⁵. If you lost Excelsior over an enrollment pause, ask your college for an allowable-interruption review within one year of the notice ⁠⁵.