Do students or parents submit TAP application after FAFSA? Need urgent help

TAP (Tuition Assistance Program) is a New York State specific grant program, so you're right to ask about it! The student applies for TAP, not the parent. When you completed the FAFSA, there should have been a link at the end to apply for state aid - that would take you to the TAP application. If you missed that, no problem - your daughter can go directly to the NY Higher Education Services Corporation website (hesc.ny.gov) and apply there. To be eligible, she must be a NY state resident planning to attend an approved NY college or university full-time.

my son appliedd for tap right after fafsa, took like 10 mins. its just for NY state students, btw. if ur not in NY dont worry about it!! but def do it if ur in NY, free $$

Just to add some important details - TAP is specifically for New York residents attending NY schools, and provides up to $5,665 for the 2025-2026 academic year. The student applies, but it uses the parents' income information (if the student is dependent, which most first-time college students are). What many people don't realize is that your FAFSA information can be automatically transferred to your TAP application if you complete them together. Since you've already submitted FAFSA, your daughter will need to create an account on the HESC website and complete a TAP application there. The application will pull most information from the FAFSA, but you might need your NY state tax return handy.

I had the exact same confusion last year with my son's applications! The TAP deadline technically aligns with the academic year - so June 30, 2026 for the 2025-2026 year. BUT - and this is important - TAP is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, so you should apply as soon as possible. Since you've already done FAFSA, I'd recommend having your daughter apply for TAP this week if possible. One thing that tripped us up: FAFSA uses federal tax info, while TAP needs NY state tax information. Most numbers are the same, but worth having both handy just in case!

The whole system is RIDICULOUS!!! Did anyone tell you that your daughter will need HER OWN account on the HESC website to apply for TAP?? It's not your account as the parent, even though they use YOUR financial info! And the HESC website is always crashing during peak application periods. Last year my daughter tried for THREE DAYS to submit her TAP application because the site kept timing out. What a joke!

when i did my tap application it automatically linked from fafsa. theres a button at the end that says something like "apply for state aid now" just click that. but if u already finshed fafsa u gotta go to hesc.ny.gov instead

I spent literally HOURS trying to reach someone at HESC about my daughter's TAP application last month. The phone lines are always busy and the callback feature never worked. I was about to give up when someone recommended Claimyr (claimyr.com). I was skeptical but desperate - it actually got me connected to a live person at HESC in about 20 minutes instead of waiting on hold forever. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ Might be worth keeping in your back pocket if you run into issues with your daughter's TAP application and need to speak with someone directly.

Since several people have mentioned the TAP application website issues, I want to add a few quick tips that might help: 1. Make sure your daughter creates her own HESC account with her own email (not yours) 2. Have both your federal AND NY state tax returns ready before starting 3. The NY state student identification number (NYSIS) will be generated during the process if she doesn't already have one 4. Save progress frequently - the site does time out 5. If possible, complete the application in one sitting during off-peak hours Also, don't forget to check if your daughter's chosen NY schools have any supplemental financial aid applications beyond FAFSA and TAP. Some private NY colleges also require the CSS Profile, which has a different deadline.

One more thing about TAP that nobody mentioned - if your daughter gets approved, she'll receive an award letter from HESC that shows her estimated TAP award. Make sure she keeps this documentation! When she enrolls in a NY college, they'll require her to provide her TAP award information so they can apply it to her tuition bill. The school financial aid office will handle actually receiving the funds, but she needs to make sure they have her TAP information. This tripped us up last year - my son had been approved for TAP but forgot to provide his award info to the school, and they didn't automatically know he had it.

As someone who just went through this process with my daughter last year, I wanted to add that you should also check if your daughter qualifies for the Enhanced Tuition Award (ETA) if she's planning to attend a private college in NY. It's another NY state program that can provide up to $6,000 for families earning under $125,000. The application is also through the HESC website, and like TAP, it's first-come-first-served. We almost missed out on this because we didn't know it existed! Also, don't stress too much about the paperwork - once you get through TAP, you'll have most of what you need for any other NY state aid programs. The hardest part is just knowing what's available!

Hey Justin! I just went through this exact same situation with my daughter last year. Since you already completed the FAFSA, your daughter will need to go directly to hesc.ny.gov to apply for TAP. The good news is that most of the information from your FAFSA will transfer over automatically - you'll just need to have your NY state tax return handy since TAP uses state-specific information. One thing I wish someone had told me: create her account during off-peak hours (like late evening or early morning) to avoid the website crashes that others mentioned. Also, even though TAP has a June deadline, it's awarded first-come-first-served, so definitely apply within the next week or two. The application itself only takes about 15-20 minutes once you have all the documents ready. Don't let the acronyms overwhelm you - you've got this!

Just wanted to add another important tip that helped us - when your daughter creates her HESC account for TAP, make sure she uses the EXACT same name format that was used on her FAFSA. Any discrepancies (like using "Katie" on one and "Katherine" on the other) can cause delays in processing. Also, if your family's financial situation has changed significantly since filing taxes (job loss, medical expenses, etc.), TAP does have a process for appeals or special circumstances - though it's more limited than FAFSA's process. The HESC website has a section on "special circumstances" if you need it. Good luck with the application!

I'm so glad I found this thread! I'm in the exact same boat - just completed my son's FAFSA last week and had no idea about TAP until a friend mentioned it yesterday. Reading through everyone's responses has been incredibly helpful. It sounds like the key points are: 1) my son needs to create his own HESC account (not me as the parent), 2) apply during off-peak hours to avoid website issues, 3) have our NY state tax return ready, and 4) don't wait since it's first-come-first-served. I'm bookmarking this thread to reference when we tackle the application this weekend. Thank you all for sharing your experiences - it's making this whole process feel much less overwhelming!

I just wanted to chime in as someone who works in a college financial aid office in NY - you've gotten some excellent advice here! One thing I'd add is that when your daughter applies for TAP, she'll also want to check the "Express TAP Application" option if it's available. This allows the system to auto-populate information from her FAFSA, which saves time and reduces errors. Also, after she submits her TAP application, she should receive a confirmation email with her application number - definitely save this! If any issues come up later, having that reference number makes it much easier for HESC to locate her file. The TAP award typically shows up in her student portal at whatever NY college she ends up attending, usually by late spring/early summer. Don't panic if it takes a few weeks to process - that's totally normal!

This thread has been incredibly informative! As someone new to the NY financial aid system, I had no idea TAP even existed until reading this. Just to clarify for other newcomers like me - so TAP is completely separate from FAFSA but uses similar information, and it's specifically for NY residents attending NY schools? And the student applies (not the parent) but using the family's financial information? I'm trying to make sure I understand correctly before my daughter starts her applications. Also, is there a minimum GPA requirement for TAP eligibility, or is it purely income-based? Thanks to everyone who's shared their experiences - this community is amazing!

As a newcomer to this community and the whole financial aid process, I just want to say THANK YOU to everyone who has shared their experiences here! Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful. My family is also dealing with FAFSA and TAP for the first time, and honestly, I had no idea TAP even existed until I found this thread. It's really reassuring to know that other families have successfully navigated this process, even with the website issues and confusing deadlines. I'm bookmarking all the key tips mentioned here - having the student create their own HESC account, applying during off-peak hours, keeping NY state tax returns handy, and not waiting since it's first-come-first-served. The insider advice from the financial aid office worker was especially valuable! One question I haven't seen asked yet - for families who might be right at the income threshold for TAP eligibility, is it still worth applying even if you're not sure you'll qualify? Or does the application process give you a clear indication upfront about whether you're likely to be eligible based on your income?

As someone who just went through this process with my daughter this past year, I want to emphasize something that really helped us - don't be afraid to call your daughter's prospective colleges' financial aid offices directly! While everyone here has given great advice about the TAP application process (and yes, definitely apply ASAP since it's first-come-first-served), the financial aid counselors at the actual schools can be incredibly helpful in explaining how FAFSA, TAP, and any school-specific aid work together. When we were confused about deadlines and which forms went where, the financial aid officer at my daughter's college walked us through exactly what she needed to submit and when. They also caught that she was eligible for a small college-specific grant we didn't even know existed! Each school handles the coordination between federal, state, and institutional aid a bit differently, so having that direct contact was invaluable. Also, just to add one more thing that saved us stress - once your daughter submits her TAP application, screenshot the confirmation page and save any confirmation emails immediately. The HESC website isn't always reliable for retrieving past information, so having your own records can be a lifesaver if you need to reference her application later.

Welcome to the community, Justin! You've already gotten fantastic advice here, but I wanted to add one more perspective as someone who just finished helping my nephew through this exact process. The most important thing to remember is that you're not alone in feeling overwhelmed - the financial aid system really is complex, especially for first-time families. One thing that helped us was creating a simple checklist to track everything: FAFSA (✓ done), TAP application (next step), any school-specific forms, deadlines, etc. Having it all written down in one place made it feel much more manageable. Also, since you mentioned feeling like you're "drowning in acronyms," I'd suggest checking if your daughter's high school guidance counselor offers any financial aid workshops or one-on-one sessions. Ours was incredibly helpful in explaining not just the NY-specific programs like TAP and ETA, but also helping us understand the timeline for when awards get processed and distributed. You're being proactive by asking these questions now, which puts you ahead of many families. Your daughter is lucky to have a parent who's working so hard to navigate this process for her!

Hi Justin! As someone who just went through this whole process with my daughter last year, I completely understand the acronym overwhelm - it's like learning a whole new language! You've gotten excellent advice here about TAP, but I wanted to add one quick tip that saved us a lot of stress: when your daughter creates her HESC account for the TAP application, have her bookmark the login page and write down her username/password immediately. The HESC website can be finicky about password resets, and if she needs to check her application status later or access her award letter, you don't want to get locked out of the account. We learned this the hard way when my daughter forgot her login info right before we needed to provide TAP documentation to her college! Also, don't stress too much about the timeline - even though TAP is first-come-first-served, there's still plenty of funding available this early in the cycle. You're being wonderfully proactive by getting this sorted out now. Your daughter is going to do great, and you've got this!

I'm also completely new to this whole financial aid process and just want to say how incredibly helpful this thread has been! My daughter and I are in almost the exact same situation as you, Justin - we completed the FAFSA a couple weeks ago but had no idea about TAP until today. Reading through everyone's experiences has made this feel so much less scary. From what I'm gathering, the key steps are: 1) Have my daughter create her own account on hesc.ny.gov (not me as the parent), 2) Use the same name format as her FAFSA to avoid processing delays, 3) Apply during off-peak hours to avoid website crashes, 4) Have our NY state tax return ready, and 5) Don't wait since it's awarded first-come-first-served. One question I haven't seen addressed - if we run into technical issues with the HESC website during the application process, is there a tech support number we can call, or do we just have to keep trying? I'm already nervous about the website timing out mid-application based on what others have shared! Thank you to everyone who has shared their experiences and tips. This community is amazing for first-time families like ours!