Policy

Policy Brief Calling for Stronger New York Tuition Assistance Program to Advance Educational Equity

uAspire released a new policy brief, New York State Tuition Assistance Program: A Path Toward Educational Equity, urging state leaders to modernize and expand the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) to meet the financial realities facing New York’s students.

For 50 years, TAP has helped generations of New Yorkers afford college, but as tuition and living costs have soared, the program has not kept pace. The new brief highlights key equity gaps and offers six actionable recommendations to make college more affordable for low- and middle-income students across the state.

“Higher education should be a clear pathway to economic mobility, but too many students—especially those from low-income and first-generation backgrounds—are still left behind,” said Melissa Clarke, NY Policy Director at uAspire. “TAP is one of the nation’s most important financial aid programs, but it needs to reflect today’s realities so every student can afford to complete college without taking on unmanageable debt.”

Key Findings

• TAP supports more than 200,000 New York students each year but covers only a fraction of total college costs—leaving many to bridge nearly $20,000 in unmet need annually.
• Recent state budget updates expanded TAP eligibility to households earning up to $125,000, adding 48,000 new students, but challenges remain.
• Many students miss out on aid because TAP requires a separate application from the FAFSA and lacks user-friendly tracking or outreach systems.

A Call to Action for New York’s Leaders: The brief draws on uAspire’s national advising insights and comparative research from California and Washington to show what’s possible when states build student-centered financial aid systems.

Download The Brief