NY TAP and SUNY Tuition Aid stuck on 'offered' status - how to accept?

This is actually normal for NY state aid! Unlike federal aid which requires active acceptance, TAP and most SUNY tuition assistance programs are automatically accepted when they're in "offered" status. The school will apply them to her account when they process her aid package. You should see them deducted from her final bill. Just make sure your daughter has completed the separate NY State TAP application through HESC (not just FAFSA). If TAP is showing as "offered," she likely already did this, but double-check to be certain.

the same thing happened to my son at SUNY Oswego!! dont worry about it, the aid gets applied automatically. trust me its confusing AF but itll work out

Actually, I disagree with what others are saying. When my daughter attended SUNY Binghamton last year, we had to explicitly accept ALL aid including TAP and SUNY Tuition Credit. There should be an "Accept/Decline" button somewhere in the financial aid section of the portal. The interface is different for each SUNY school though. If you can't find it, you should call the financial aid office ASAP before the tuition deadline. Don't just assume it will be applied automatically.

Now I'm confused again! I've been looking everywhere in her portal and there's definitely no Accept/Decline button for these specific aid types. There was for her federal loans and work study, but not for TAP or the SUNY Tuition Credit. I guess I'll have to call the financial aid office to be sure, but their phone line is constantly busy. I've tried about 8 times over the past week and either get a busy signal or get disconnected while on hold. Is there a better time of day to call?

Just dealt with the same issue for my twins at SUNY Albany! It's automatically accepted but MAKE SURE your daughter's NYS residency verification is complete. The school needs proof she's lived in NY for 12+ consecutive months or TAP won't disburse even if it shows as offered. For us they required our 2024 NYS tax return and utility bills. And FYI, if the "offered" amount seems low, check if they calculated your TAP based on the correct number of family members in college. They initially only counted one of my twins!

I work in financial aid at a different SUNY campus. Here's what's happening: TAP and SUNY Tuition Credit remain in "offered" status until about 2-3 weeks after classes begin. This is because enrollment must be verified before state aid disburses (you must be full-time with at least 12 credits that count toward your degree program). You don't need to accept these particular aid types - they'll automatically apply if your daughter meets the criteria. However, you should definitely verify that your NY state residency is confirmed in the system. This is usually done through the registrar's office, not financial aid. And yes, our phone lines are swamped this time of year. Try calling right when the office opens (usually 8:30am).

I had a similar problem with my son's SUNY account last year and spent 3 WEEKS trying to get through to someone! Finally found a service called Claimyr that got me through to a real person at the financial aid office in minutes. Saved me so much frustration! Check out their video demo at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ or go to claimyr.com. They can connect you to pretty much any financial aid office. My son's TAP grant had an issue with his program code that needed manual correction.

One more thing to check: has your daughter received any outside scholarships? If so, those can sometimes reduce TAP and SUNY Tuition Credit amounts due to state regulations on "overawards." The school has to adjust state aid if total gift aid exceeds tuition + fees + $1,500. This happened to my niece last year and it took FOREVER to straighten out because they kept adjusting different parts of her package. Also, sometimes these state aid programs don't fully process until the state budget is finalized, which can delay when they're applied to student accounts. DONT PAY any bill that doesn't show these aid sources if you're sure she qualifies!

THE WHOLE FINANCIAL AID SYSTEM IS A DISASTER!!!! My daughter graduated from SUNY Plattsburgh in 2025 and we're STILL fighting with them about TAP disbursements from her sophomore year!! All these different offices that don't communicate, online portals that don't update, and impossible-to-reach phone numbers. And they wonder why families get frustrated!!!!! My advice: document EVERYTHING. Save screenshots, emails, names of who you talk to. The system is designed to wear you down so you'll just give up and pay whatever they tell you to pay. DONT GIVE UP!!

Update: I finally got through to the financial aid office! For anyone with the same problem: at SUNY Buffalo (and apparently most other SUNY schools), TAP and SUNY Tuition Credit DO automatically accept - they stay in "offered" status until about 3 weeks into the semester when enrollment is confirmed. However, we did have a residency verification hold I didn't know about! They needed my daughter's driver's license info to confirm NY residency. This wasn't showing anywhere obvious in the portal, but the financial aid advisor found it when she looked at our account. Thanks everyone for your help! The advisor also mentioned they're extremely backed up with calls right now, so if anyone else is trying to reach financial aid at any SUNY school, be prepared for long waits.

Thanks for the update! This is super helpful for anyone else dealing with the same issue. The residency verification hold is such a sneaky thing - they really should make those holds more visible in the portal. Glad you got it sorted out! It's crazy how many hidden requirements there are in this process that nobody tells you about upfront.

This thread is a goldmine of information! I'm dealing with something similar for my son at SUNY New Paltz - his TAP is showing as "offered" and I've been panicking thinking we missed some acceptance deadline. Reading through everyone's experiences here is so reassuring. One thing I wanted to add: when I called our school's financial aid office (after many attempts), they mentioned that if you have any changes to your family's financial situation after filing FAFSA, you should report those ASAP because it can affect your TAP eligibility. My husband's hours got cut at work in April, and they said we should file an appeal for professional judgment which might increase our aid. Also wanted to echo what others said about documentation - I started keeping a spreadsheet with dates, who I talked to, and what they said. It's already come in handy twice when different staff members gave me conflicting information!

This whole thread has been so helpful! I'm going through the exact same thing with my daughter at SUNY Oneonta right now. Her TAP and SUNY aid are both stuck on "offered" status and I was starting to panic that we missed some deadline. Reading everyone's experiences here is such a relief - especially knowing that it's normal for these to stay in "offered" status until enrollment is verified. I'm definitely going to check on the residency verification issue that several people mentioned. We've lived in NY for years but you never know what documentation they might need that we haven't provided yet. And I love the spreadsheet idea for tracking all the calls and conversations - I'm starting that today! One question for anyone who's been through this: when the state aid finally does get applied to the student account, do you get any notification or does it just quietly show up on the bill? Just want to make sure we don't miss it when it happens.

This thread is incredibly helpful! I'm a first-time college parent and had no idea that NY state aid works differently from federal aid. My daughter just got accepted to SUNY Purchase for the fall and I was already stressing about how confusing the financial aid process would be. Reading through everyone's experiences here - especially about the residency verification requirements and how TAP stays in "offered" status until enrollment is confirmed - has given me a much better understanding of what to expect. I'm definitely going to start that documentation spreadsheet now before we even get to the aid disbursement stage. One thing I'm wondering about: for those who had to provide residency verification, what specific documents did your schools accept? We've been NY residents forever but I want to make sure I have everything ready ahead of time. Better to be overprepared than scrambling later like some of you had to do!

Wow, this entire thread has been such a lifesaver! I'm dealing with the exact same situation for my son at SUNY Geneseo - his TAP and SUNY Tuition Credit are both showing as "offered" and I had no idea what that meant or if we needed to do anything. I've been losing sleep over this for weeks thinking we missed some critical deadline! It's so reassuring to hear from multiple people that this is normal and that the aid gets applied automatically once enrollment is verified. I had no clue about the residency verification requirement either - definitely going to check on that ASAP. The tip about calling right when the office opens at 8:30am is gold - I've been trying to call at random times and always getting busy signals. And I'm absolutely starting that documentation spreadsheet today. This whole process is so much more complicated than I ever imagined, but reading everyone's real experiences here makes me feel like I'm not going crazy. Thank you all for sharing your knowledge!

This thread has been absolutely incredible to read through! I'm a junior in high school in NY and planning to apply to several SUNY schools next year. My older sister went to a private college out of state, so my family has zero experience with NY state aid programs like TAP. Reading about everyone's experiences - the "offered" status confusion, residency verification requirements, timing of when aid actually gets applied - this is all completely new information to me that I never would have known to prepare for. I'm definitely saving this entire thread and sharing it with my parents so we can get organized early. The spreadsheet tracking idea is brilliant, and I love the tip about calling financial aid offices right when they open. It's kind of scary how many hidden requirements and processes there are that nobody tells you about upfront, but at least now I have a better idea of what to expect. Thank you everyone for being so generous with sharing your real experiences - this kind of practical advice is worth its weight in gold!

This entire discussion has been incredibly eye-opening! I'm a single mom in Rochester and my daughter will be starting at SUNY Brockport this fall. Like so many others here, I've been stressing about her TAP and SUNY aid showing as "offered" status with no clear instructions on what to do next. Reading through everyone's experiences has been such a relief - especially learning that these state aid programs auto-accept and that the "offered" status is totally normal until enrollment verification happens. I had no idea about the residency verification requirements either, so I'm definitely going to call the registrar's office proactively to make sure we have everything they need. The documentation spreadsheet idea is genius - I'm starting one today! And I'm going to try the 8:30am calling strategy if I need to reach anyone. It's amazing how much practical knowledge gets shared in threads like this that you just can't find in official FAQs or websites. Thank you everyone for being so open about your experiences - it makes this whole intimidating process feel much more manageable!

This thread has been absolutely invaluable! I'm currently going through the exact same situation with my son at SUNY Albany - his TAP and SUNY Tuition Credit have been stuck on "offered" status for weeks and I was starting to panic that we had missed some crucial step. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been such a huge relief, especially learning that this is completely normal and that state aid automatically accepts once enrollment is verified. I had no clue about any of this! The residency verification issue that several people mentioned is something I never would have thought to check - definitely calling the registrar's office tomorrow to make sure we're all set on that front. I'm also implementing the documentation spreadsheet idea immediately. I've already made several calls to various offices and realized I have no record of who I spoke with or what they told me. And the 8:30am calling tip is going straight into my notes - I've been trying at random times and getting nowhere. It's honestly shocking how many "hidden" requirements and processes there are in this system that aren't clearly explained anywhere. Thank you all for sharing your real-world experiences and practical advice - this kind of knowledge sharing is exactly what families like mine need to navigate this maze successfully!

This thread is such a treasure trove of information! As someone who works with college-bound students, I see families struggle with this exact issue every year. The NY state aid system is particularly confusing because it operates so differently from federal aid - most people expect everything to work the same way. A few additional tips I'd add based on what I've seen: 1. If your student changes their course load after state aid is awarded, it can affect disbursement. TAP requires full-time enrollment (12+ credits), so dropping below that threshold will cause issues. 2. For families with multiple students in college, make sure each student's TAP application correctly reflects the number of family members attending college simultaneously - this can significantly impact award amounts. 3. Some SUNY schools have slightly different timelines for when state aid gets applied to accounts, but most follow the 2-3 weeks after semester start rule mentioned earlier. The residency verification catches so many families off guard because it's handled by registrar offices rather than financial aid, so the two offices don't always communicate about pending holds. Definitely worth checking on proactively! It's wonderful to see families helping each other navigate this maze - the real-world experiences shared here are worth more than any official guidebook!