Will Pell Grant and TAP funding stop after 8 semesters if my son needs 9 to graduate?

For Pell Grants, there is a lifetime eligibility limit of 12 semesters (or 6 years) of funding - so your son should be fine on that front for his 9th semester. However, TAP is trickier. In New York, standard TAP is generally limited to 8 semesters for a bachelor's degree program. There are some exceptions though! Has your son formally changed his major? Some programs allow for additional TAP funding if the student changed their approved program of study.

my daughter went thru the same thing!!!! switched from business to nursing and needed extra time. Pell was fine but the TAP ran out after 8 semesters no matter what we tried :( we had to take out an extra parent plus loan for that last semester it SUCKED

There are actually some nuances here worth understanding: 1. Pell Grants: The lifetime limit is 600% of eligibility (effectively 12 full-time semesters). Your son using 9 semesters would be at 450% usage, so he's within the limit. 2. TAP (NY): The standard is 8 semesters for a bachelor's degree. However, students in approved five-year programs can receive up to 10 semesters of TAP. Also, students with disabilities documented with the school's accessibility office may qualify for additional TAP semesters. 3. Important: Have your son talk to his financial aid office ASAP about a TAP extension waiver. They sometimes grant these for program changes, but it's not automatic and needs documentation. 4. Check if his school has any institutional grants that could replace the TAP for that final semester. You should definitely have him schedule a meeting with his financial aid counselor NOW, not when the 9th semester is approaching.

Your son should also check his SAI (Student Aid Index) for his final semester. Sometimes even with grants running out, the calculated need-based aid can increase if your family's financial situation qualifies. I'm dealing with a similar situation with my daughter who is going into her 5th year, and we found that while some aid ended, other aid increased to partially offset it.

im confused about something - isnt the pell grant maxed at like 7k per year? that barely covers anything anyway so does it even matter if it continues?? Not trying to be negative just wondering if its worth stressing about when tuition is like 30k+

I spent HOURS trying to call the financial aid office at my son's school about a similar issue. Getting a human on the phone was impossible! I finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) to connect with a real person at the Financial Aid office. Saved me so much frustration. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ Once I actually talked to someone, I found out there was a special form for requesting extended aid eligibility that wasn't even on their website. So definitely worth getting actual advice from a real person at the financial aid office.

This happened to my nephew last year. The financial aid office told him he needed to take MORE CREDITS his remaining semesters to finish in 8 instead of 9!!! They said it would be cheaper to overload with 18 credits for two semesters than pay full tuition without TAP for one semester. Might be worth looking into if your son can handle the academic load?

One thing nobody mentioned yet - check if your son's school has emergency completion grants!!! My daughter's university had special grants JUST FOR students in their last 1-2 semesters who were at risk of not finishing due to financial problems. She got $3500 for her final semester when her other aid ran out!

An update on the TAP situation - I just double-checked, and for TAP specifically, there is an extension program called TAP for Students Enrolled in Approved Five-Year Programs. If your son's current program (Biology) has a standard curriculum that typically takes more than 4 years, or if the switch from Engineering caused unavoidable delays, he might qualify. He needs to have his academic advisor document that the delay was due to the program change and that he's making satisfactory progress. This documentation needs to be submitted to the financial aid office, who then submits the extension request to HESC (Higher Education Services Corporation). Also, check if he's eligible for APTS (Aid for Part-Time Study) if he'll be taking fewer than 12 credits in that final semester.

Just wanted to chime in as someone who works in financial aid administration - the advice about getting documentation from your son's academic advisor is spot on! When students switch majors, especially from something like Engineering to Biology, there's often coursework that doesn't transfer directly, which can create legitimate delays. A few additional tips: 1) Have your son request a degree audit from his registrar's office showing exactly how many credits he needs and when he can realistically graduate, 2) Ask about summer courses or winter intersession classes that might help him finish sooner, and 3) Look into whether he can take any required courses at a community college during breaks and transfer them back (much cheaper if he does end up paying out of pocket). Also, don't forget about work-study opportunities or campus jobs that could help offset costs for that final semester. Many schools increase work-study awards for students in their final year who are facing financial hardship.