FAFSA/TAP confusion - how to send NY State TAP awards to multiple colleges?

This was super confusing for me too last year! The TAP system is completely different from FAFSA. With TAP, you can only list one school at a time, but you CAN change your school code later after you've submitted. Log into your HESC account (not your FAFSA one) at hesc.ny.gov and there should be an option to "Change College." You'll need to do this for each school individually. It's annoying but that's how their system works.

The previous response is mostly correct, but there's a bit more to know. For the 2025-2026 application cycle, NY State made some changes to the TAP system. After receiving your TAP award notification, you need to: 1. Log into the HESC website (hesc.ny.gov) 2. Go to Account Information 3. Select "Change College" 4. Enter the new college's TAP code (different from FAFSA code) 5. Repeat for each school Important: There's usually a 3-5 business day processing time before the new school can see the TAP information. Also, you can only have ONE school selected at any given time - the system automatically removes the previous school when you add a new one. Finally, if your son decides which school he'll attend, make sure that school is the last one you select in the system.

I wemt through this EXACT situation with my daughter! The NY TAP system is SO ARCHAIC compared to FAFSA. Here's what we learned after many frustrating phone calls: The schools will all create initial financial aid packages WITHOUT the TAP amount included. Once your son decides which school he'll attend, THAT'S when you need to change the TAP code to that specific school. Then they'll add the TAP award to his final package. So basically, he'll get financial aid offers from all schools, but they won't include TAP. After he commits to one school, you update the TAP code to that school, and they'll revise his package to include TAP.

I HATE the NY state TAP system!!! I spent HOURS on the phone trying to reach someone at HESC last year when we had issues with my son's application. Keep getting disconnected or waiting forever. The whole thing is ridiculous - why can't they just send the info to all the schools like FAFSA does??? NYS needs to update their ancient systems!!

just want to add that the TAP award ur son got might be different depending on which SUNY he goes to! the max award is different for different types of schools (community college vs 4-yr) so dont be confused if the final amount changes when he picks a school

I notice everyone's talking about the HESC website, but when my daughter applied this year, we had to use the new NY State Student Portal instead. They migrated everything over from the old HESC system. Just letting you know in case you're looking in the wrong place! The process is basically the same though - still can only have one school selected at a time.

Thanks everyone for the helpful responses! I was able to log in (it was the new Student Portal for me) and see where to change the school code. I'll wait until he decides which SUNY to attend before making the final change. It's still confusing why they can't just send the info to all schools like FAFSA does, but at least I understand the process now!

Just wanted to add one more tip that helped us - if you're having trouble finding the TAP codes for each SUNY school, they're actually different from the FAFSA school codes! You can find them on each school's financial aid website, or there's a searchable list on the NY State Student Portal. We made the mistake of trying to use FAFSA codes at first and couldn't figure out why it wasn't working. Also, keep screenshots of your TAP award letter because some schools asked us to upload it separately to their financial aid portals even after we changed the school code in the system.

As someone who just went through this process with my own kid last year, I wanted to add that it's also worth calling the financial aid offices at each SUNY school your son is considering. Most of them are really helpful and can walk you through their specific process for receiving TAP information. Some schools have their own internal systems that track when TAP codes get changed to them, so they might be able to give you a timeline for when they'll receive the updated info. Also, if your son ends up getting accepted to multiple schools and you're comparing financial aid packages, you can ask each school's financial aid office to give you an estimate of what his package would look like WITH the TAP award included, even if they don't officially have it in their system yet. This helped us make a more informed decision when comparing offers!

Just going through this same situation with my twins who both applied to multiple SUNYs! One thing I discovered that might help - if you're really worried about timing, you can actually change the school code multiple times throughout the application season. I've been switching it every few weeks between the schools they're most interested in, just to make sure each school has recent visibility into their TAP eligibility when they're putting together aid packages. It's extra work, but gives me peace of mind that no school is completely in the dark about the TAP award. The system remembers that your child is eligible regardless of which school is currently selected, so it doesn't hurt to switch it around. Just make sure to end with the school they actually choose to attend!

I'm going through the exact same situation right now with my daughter! She applied to 8 SUNY schools and I was so confused about why TAP only let me pick one. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful - I had no idea about the rotating strategy or that financial aid offices could give estimates including TAP even before officially changing the code. One question for those who've been through this: when you call the financial aid offices, do you need any specific information beyond your child's name and social security number? I want to make sure I have everything ready before I start making calls to all her schools. Also, has anyone had issues with the NY State Student Portal being slow or glitchy? I've had trouble logging in a few times and want to know if that's normal or if I should be concerned about missing deadlines.

I'm going through this exact same nightmare with my daughter who applied to 7 SUNY schools! The TAP system is absolutely maddening - I spent hours trying to figure out why I could only select one school when FAFSA let me send to all of them. After reading everyone's responses, I think I have a better understanding now. The rotating strategy that Alejandro mentioned sounds brilliant - I'm definitely going to try switching the school code every few weeks so all her schools get periodic visibility into her TAP eligibility. One thing I wanted to add that might help others: I called SUNY Albany's financial aid office yesterday and they told me that even though they can't see the TAP award in their system until the code is switched to them, they keep notes in student files when parents call to report TAP eligibility. So it's worth calling each school just to let them know your child qualified for TAP even if you haven't switched the code to them yet. They said this helps them plan more accurate preliminary aid packages. Also, for anyone still struggling with the login issues on the Student Portal - try using a different browser. Chrome wasn't working for me but Firefox did the trick!

New to this community and dealing with the exact same TAP confusion! My son applied to 5 SUNY schools and I was pulling my hair out trying to figure out why TAP only let me select one college when FAFSA sent to all of them automatically. Reading through all these responses has been a lifesaver - I had no idea about the rotating strategy or that you could call financial aid offices to give them a heads up about TAP eligibility even before switching the code to their school. The tip about different browsers for the Student Portal is gold too - I've been struggling with login issues on Chrome. One quick question for those who've done the rotating approach: how often do you switch the school code? Every 2-3 weeks or more frequently? I want to make sure all his schools get good visibility but don't want to overwhelm the system with constant changes. Thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences - this thread should be pinned for other confused parents!

I'm dealing with this same exact situation right now! My daughter applied to 4 SUNY schools and I was so confused about why TAP wouldn't let me send the award info to all of them like FAFSA does. This thread has been incredibly helpful - I had no idea about the rotating strategy or that you could call financial aid offices proactively. One thing I wanted to add that might help others: when I called SUNY New Paltz yesterday, they mentioned that they actually prefer if parents call early in the process to let them know about TAP eligibility rather than waiting until the very end. They said it helps them put together more accurate initial aid estimates, even if they can't officially see the TAP award in their system yet. Also, for anyone dealing with the Student Portal login issues - try logging in during off-peak hours (early morning or late evening). I found it's much more stable then compared to during the day when everyone's probably trying to access it. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - this community is amazing!