Making it easier for New York students to TAP into financial aid
Giving more undergraduates as well as graduate students a fighting chance financially was the message as Assemblymember Nicole Malliotakis held a press conference in front of Fort Hamilton High School, 8301 Shore Road, to discuss her proposals to alter the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) to benefit more New Yorkers. She was joined by recent graduate students who have struggled to pay off their student loan debt.
“We are here because in 2010, the state legislature eliminated the Tuition Assistance Program for graduate students here in the state of New York. They have not yet restored this program, which means if you’re a graduate student in the state of New York, you get no tuition assistance,” Malliotakis said. “We are also here because we want to see TAP eligibility expanded so more middle class families could qualify.”
Currently, students have to have a household income of less than $80,000 to qualify for tuition assistance. Malliotakis’ two pieces of legislation include increasing the household threshold income cap for the state’s TAP to $100,000 as well as a bill that would have graduate programs eligible for approval under the state TAP.