How do I send my NY TAP award amount to multiple colleges after FAFSA?

You need to update your TAP application to include all the schools. Log into your HESC account (same place you applied for TAP originally) and select "Change My College Choice". You can add up to 8 NY colleges there. Make sure you list them in order of preference because TAP will only be paid to the first school your son attends.

went through this last yr with my daughter!! u have to call the TAP people directly. its not like fafsa where u can just add schools.

I've been trying to call HESC for TWO WEEKS about a similar issue and can't get through!!! Their phone system is TERRIBLE and keeps disconnecting me after waiting for 45+ minutes. This whole TAP system is ridiculous. Why can't they just let us list multiple schools from the beginning like FAFSA does? It's almost like they WANT to make things difficult for students and parents.

When I had this issue I just called each financial aid office directly and told them I qualified for TAP. Most schools can look up your TAP eligibility with your TAP ID number. You did get a TAP ID number in that email, right?

Just want to add that your son should be careful about which school he lists first on the TAP application! TAP will ONLY pay to the first school on that list that he attends. So if he's still undecided, I'd recommend putting his most expensive option first. If he decides to go there, great. If he decides on a less expensive option, you can always update the TAP application again before school starts in the fall. I made the mistake of listing my daughter's safety school first, and when she decided to attend a more expensive private university instead, we had to update the application again and it caused delays in her financial aid package.

also make sure u check if all those schools accept TAP! not all private NY colleges do even tho most do

To answer your question about timing - when you update your college choices online, it typically takes 3-5 business days for the new schools to receive your TAP information. However, during peak periods (April-June), it can sometimes take up to 10 business days. As a backup, you can take a screenshot of your TAP award email and send it directly to each financial aid office. While they'll still need the official notification to process your aid, this at least lets them know you're eligible and approximately how much you'll receive, which can help them prepare a more accurate financial aid package for your son.

One more important thing about TAP that many parents don't realize: If your son is considering any SUNY schools, there's also the SUNY Tuition Credit that automatically comes with TAP eligibility. This can provide up to $2,000 additional tuition assistance beyond your TAP award. The financial aid office at SUNY Buffalo or Binghamton can provide the exact calculation based on your TAP amount, but it's definitely worth asking about since it could significantly reduce your out-of-pocket costs at SUNY schools versus private institutions.

Just wanted to add my experience as someone who went through this exact situation last year! The online update through HESC is definitely the way to go - much faster than trying to call. One tip that saved me a lot of stress: after you update your college list online, you can actually track the status of each school receiving your information by logging back into your HESC account. There's a section that shows which schools have been notified and when. This helped me know exactly when to follow up with the financial aid offices. Also, don't forget that you can update your college choices multiple times throughout the process if your son changes his mind about his top choice schools. The system is more flexible than it initially appears!

I went through this same panic last year! Here's what worked for me: First, definitely use the online "Change My College Choice" option in your HESC account - it's much more reliable than calling. But here's a pro tip: while you're waiting for the official notification to go through, call each financial aid office directly and give them your TAP ID number from the email. Most schools can pull up your eligibility immediately and factor it into their aid packages right away. This saved me weeks of waiting during decision season. Also, since your son is looking at both SUNY and private schools, make sure to ask the SUNY offices about the additional tuition credit that Connor mentioned - it really can make a significant difference in the total cost comparison. The whole process seems overwhelming at first, but once you get the colleges updated online, it moves pretty smoothly!

I just went through this exact same situation with my daughter's TAP application two months ago! The stress is real, but you're on the right track. A few additional tips from my recent experience: When you update your college list online (which really is the fastest way), make sure to save a screenshot of the confirmation page - it shows the date you made the update which can be helpful if there are any delays. Also, I found that calling the financial aid offices in the morning (around 9-10 AM) got me through much faster than afternoon calls. And here's something nobody told me initially - if your son ends up choosing a school that wasn't on your original TAP list, you can still update it even after he enrolls, as long as it's before the school year starts. The key is just making sure the school he actually attends is listed first when he makes his final decision. You've got this!

I'm going through this exact same situation right now with my twin boys! The TAP system is so confusing compared to FAFSA. What I learned is that you absolutely can update your college choices online through your HESC account - look for "Change My College Choice" in your dashboard. But here's what saved me time: I also emailed each financial aid office directly with my TAP award letter attached and asked them to note the boys' eligibility in their files while waiting for the official notification. Most schools were really helpful about this and could immediately factor the TAP amount into their aid calculations. One financial aid counselor even told me they prefer when parents reach out proactively because it helps them prepare more accurate packages. The whole update process took about a week for all schools to receive the notification, but having that direct contact with the aid offices made me feel much more confident that nothing would fall through the cracks during decision season.

I'm currently dealing with this same issue for my daughter and wanted to share what I learned from calling HESC directly yesterday. The representative confirmed that you can definitely update your college list online through the "Change My College Choice" option, but she also mentioned something important that I haven't seen mentioned here yet: if your son is considering any schools outside of New York State, those obviously won't be eligible for TAP funding, so make sure you're only adding NY colleges to your list. Also, she told me that during peak season (which we're in now), the online updates are actually processed faster than phone requests because they have more staff handling the digital queue. The rep also suggested that once you update online, you can call the HESC customer service line in about 3-4 days to confirm that all schools received the notification - apparently they can see the transmission log on their end. This extra confirmation step really helped put my mind at ease! The whole process is definitely more manageable than it initially seems.

I went through this exact situation last year and completely understand the panic! The good news is that updating your college list through HESC online is actually pretty straightforward once you know where to look. What really helped me was creating a spreadsheet with all the schools my daughter was considering, their TAP eligibility status, and the dates I contacted each financial aid office. I also made sure to keep copies of all communications - screenshots of the HESC updates, emails to financial aid offices, and confirmation numbers from any phone calls. One thing that caught me off guard was that some private NY schools have different processing timelines for TAP notifications, so don't be surprised if you hear back from some schools faster than others. The key is staying organized and following up proactively. Your son is lucky to have such a dedicated parent advocating for him during this process! The financial aid packages will come together, and you'll be able to make an informed decision.

I'm a newcomer to this community but facing the exact same situation right now! Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful - I had no idea you could update your college choices online through HESC. I was about to spend hours trying to call them. Quick question for everyone who's been through this: when you update the college list online, do you get any kind of confirmation email from HESC, or do you just have to trust that it went through? Also, has anyone had experience with how quickly the SUNY schools versus private NY colleges typically respond once they receive the TAP notification? I'm trying to plan out my timeline for following up with each financial aid office. Thank you all for sharing your experiences - this thread is a lifesaver during such a stressful time!

As a newcomer here, I'm so relieved to find this thread! I'm dealing with the exact same situation - my daughter was accepted to several NY schools and I made the same mistake of only listing one school on the original TAP application. Reading through everyone's experiences has been incredibly reassuring. I just want to add one thing I discovered when I logged into my HESC account today: there's actually a helpful FAQ section under the "Change My College Choice" option that explains the whole process step-by-step. It mentions that you can list up to 8 NY colleges and that the system will automatically notify all listed schools within 3-5 business days. What I found particularly useful was that it also shows your current award amount right on the college selection page, so you can double-check everything before submitting the update. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences here - it's made this stressful process so much more manageable knowing other parents have successfully navigated these same challenges!

As a newcomer to this community, I just want to say thank you to everyone who shared their experiences here! I'm facing this exact same TAP situation with my son who's choosing between several NY schools, and I was completely panicking when I realized I could only select one school on the original application. Reading through all these detailed responses has been such a lifesaver - I had no idea about the "Change My College Choice" option in the HESC account, and all the practical tips about timing, calling financial aid offices directly with the TAP ID, and even the SUNY tuition credit information is incredibly valuable. I'm logging into my HESC account right now to update the college list, and I feel so much more confident about the process knowing that other parents have successfully navigated these same challenges. This thread should be pinned for other families going through the college decision process!

I'm new to this community and just stumbled upon this incredibly helpful thread! I'm dealing with the exact same TAP situation right now - my daughter got accepted to multiple NY schools and I made the same mistake of only selecting one school on the original TAP application. I was absolutely panicking about how to get her TAP award information ($4,200) to all the other schools before decision deadlines. Reading through everyone's detailed experiences has been such a relief! I just logged into my HESC account and successfully found the "Change My College Choice" option - it was actually much easier to navigate than I expected. I'm updating her list right now to include all 6 schools she's considering, putting the most expensive private school first as Hassan suggested. Thank you to everyone who shared their real-world experience and practical tips here. This thread has transformed what felt like an impossible situation into a manageable process. I'm also planning to call each financial aid office tomorrow with our TAP ID number to speed things along. So grateful for this supportive community during such a stressful time!