Good Academic Standing Requirements

In addition to being a full-time, matriculated student and meeting the citizenship and residency requirements, all students receiving TAP must maintain good academic standing as determined by New York State Education Department.  Any student who fails to "pursue a program of study" or to "make satisfactory academic progress," as defined by the New York State Education Department, will lose TAP eligibility for the following semester.  Therefore, students must meet both of the minimum standards set by the New York State Commissioner of Education.

SATISFACTORYACADEMIC PROGRESS (SAP)- as the charts below illustrate, you must pass a specified number of credits and achieve a specified Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) prior to receiving each TAP payment. 

Baccalaureate Degree

This chart applies to students first receiving aid in 2006-07 through and including 2009-10:

This chart applies to students first receiving aid in 2010-11 and thereafter:

*Note: Only students in five-year programs, approved pursuant to Section 145–2.7 of the State Regulations, are eligible for more than eight semesters of undergraduate awards.

Associate Degree
 

This chart applies to students first receiving aid in 2006-07 through and including 2009-10:

This chart applies to students first receiving aid in 2010-11 and thereafter:

In addition to these Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements, the student must also meet requirements of Program Pursuit.

PROGRAM PURSUIT (POP)- A student must receive passing or failing grades in a certain number of credits during each semester that he/she receives a state award. ("W" grades (withdrawals) do not meet this requirement.) The following chart outlines the number of passing or failing credits the student must receive in each semester that a state award is received in order to continue to qualify for the award.

A recipient of New York State aid who fails to meet the Program Pursuit or Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements in a particular semester, may wish to make up the necessary credits or achieve the required cumulative GPA by pursuing credits at his/her own expense in a given semester. By so doing, he/she may be able to make up the deficiency and be eligible to receive his/her New York State aid in the following semester.

Other Important Information

Repeated Courses - Courses in which the student has already received a passing grade cannot be included in meeting full-time study requirements for state-sponsored financial aid. Repeated courses may be counted toward full-time study requirements if a student repeats a failed course, if a student repeats the course for additional credit in the degree program, or when a student has received a grade that is passing at the institution but is unacceptable in a particular curriculum.  For more information, please click here.

TAP Waivers- In the context of State student financial assistance programs, there are two types of waivers: (1) good academic standing waivers and (2) C-average waivers. 

The waiver provision does not exist to provide one additional term of eligibility for all students who fail to meet pursuit of progress requirements. The waiver is to be used only if the following principles are kept in mind:

• The waiver is not automatic.
• The waiver is intended only to accommodate extraordinary or unusual cases.
• The waiver process should include an assessment of the reasons for a student's failure to meet requirements.
• The waiver should be granted only when there is a reasonable expectation that the student will meet future requirements.
• The waiver can be used only in accordance with clearly established procedures.
• A written record of the findings and determination of each case must be maintained.

See the TAP Certifying Officer to inquire about a waiver.