Standards of NYS Student Aid Eligibility

Academic Eligibility for NYS Student Aid (including scholarships and TAP): The following academic eligibility requirements apply for the granting of New York State student aid:

Enrollment Requirements

Awards are granted only to full-time matriculated students. According to state guidelines, full-time students must enroll for a minimum of 12 credits for the Fall Term and 12 credits for the January/Spring terms. Repeating a course does not count toward the required number of courses for that term. The State Education Department permits the January Term to be used with the Spring Term only and it cannot be used to make up a Fall Term deficiency. Every recipient must have a major declared or an ISP approved by the end of the sophomore year. Failure to meet enrollment requirements results in loss of the award for that term.

Program Pursuit

Satisfactory program pursuit is defined as receiving a passing or failing grade in a certain percentage of a full-time course load in each term for which an award is received. The percentage increases from 50 percent of the minimum full-time course load in each term of study in the first year for which an award is received, to 75 percent of the minimum full-time course load in each term of study in the second year for which an award is received, to 100 percent of the minimum full-time course load in each term thereafter.

Students must complete (with a grade of A, B, C, D or F) a minimum number of courses each term as follows:

• 6 credits per term in the first year an award is received;
• 9 credits per term in the second year an award is received;
• 12 credits per term each term thereafter.

Incompletes are permitted if the course is finished prior to the end of the next term.

In addition, a certain number of credits must be accrued (successfully completed with grades of A, B, C or D) and a minimum cumulative GPA attained each term as follows:

For Students first receiving aid in 2010-11 and thereafter:

Failure to meet program pursuit or satisfactory academic progress requirements results in the loss of the award for the subsequent term. A student may request a waiver of the above standards ONLY ONE TIME as an undergraduate. Request will be considered on an individual basis and granted only for exceptional or extraordinary circumstances relating to death of a close relative, serious personal illness or injury, or other personal extenuating circumstances. The request for waiver will be reviewed and determined by the certifying officer and the Registrar.

For information regarding New York State Awards, contact the Higher Education Services Corporation, Office of Grants and Awards, 99 Washington Avenue, Albany, New York 12255, https://www.hesc.ny.gov/, or your high school guidance counselor.