Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships
New York State Grant and Scholarship Programs
Tuition Assistance Program (TAP)
TAP Grants, available to residents of New York State, range from $500 to $5,165, depending upon the student's level of study and the family's taxable income. The Financial Aid Office estimates each student's TAP amount in the Award Notification Letter. Actual TAP amounts will be updated following processing of an Express TAP Application by the Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC). TAP awards can not be credited to student accounts until ESF has been notified of actual award amounts by the state.
TAP Grants must be applied to eligible tuition costs. It is possible that other tuition-specific awards could affect the amount of TAP awarded.
Students are encouraged to use the online TAP form (ETA) to apply for a Grant. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) must be completed before the ETA can be submitted. If using the online FAFSA application, students should follow the link to the TAP application on the confirmation page. Students using the paper FAFSA or applicants who do not use the FAFSA link must wait until the FAFSA has been processed by the Federal Government. Once processed FAFSA results are available, access TAP application online. Students who do not use the online application will receive a paper version in the mail.
Adult Career and Continuing Education Services - Vocational Rehabilitation (ACCES-VR)
Financial assistance and program counseling are provided by New York State for individuals with disabilities. Additional information is available through the regional ACCESS-VR offices.
College training is academic training leading to a degree given on a postsecondary level at a college, business college or university. It also applies to certificate programs that are eligible for TAP and Pell support and for which consumers are matriculated at the college. It includes courses conducted by an accredited university, college, junior or community college, correspondence study, or distance learning. This includes public, independent, and proprietary colleges and universities.
ACCESS-VR may assist in supporting college training when required for eligible individuals
to achieve quality employment outcomes consistent with their strengths, resources,
priorities, concerns, abilities, capabilities, interests and informed choice (employment
factors). College training may be provided with ACCESS-VR support only when the Individualized
Plan for Employment (IPE) establishes a specific employment goal requiring this level
of training. College training may involve enrollment in full or part-time study with
attendance during day or evening sessions. (ACCESS-VR Policy from here). Students should work directly with an ACCESS-VR counselor to determine eligibility.
New York State Indian Aid Program
The Native American Education Unit allocates State funding and provides assistance to public school districts that educate Native American children residing on reservations throughout the State. It also administers the New York State Indian Aid program, which provides funding for Native American students attending postsecondary schools. Additional information about the program. Interested students should complete an application.
New York State Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Incentive Grant
This grant is available for undergraduate students who are residents of New York State in the top 10% of their high school class. Eligible students must enroll in a STEM approved major in the fall semester immediately following high school graduation, reside and work in a STEM related field in New York State for 5 years following graduation. Amounts cover up to full tuition, depending on eligibility for other New York State grants and scholarships, and may affect eligibility for SUNY ESF grants and scholarships. In order to apply, students must complete the Express TAP Application and a separate NY STEM application, available at www.hesc.com. A service contract will also be required. Program approval as a STEM major is determined based on the Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code, a taxonomic scheme developed by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) that supports the accurate tracking and reporting of fields of study and program completions activity. Note that transfer students must already be recipients of the STEM Incentive Grant at their previous school in order to be eligible at SUNY ESF. The table below lists the programs at SUNY ESF which have been approved as STEM eligible.
| STEM Approved Major | CIP Code |
|---|---|
| Aquatic & Fisheries Science | 26.1304 |
| Biochemistry | 40.0599 |
| Bioprocess Engineering | 14.0501 |
| Biotechnology | 26.1201 |
| Chemical Engineering | 14.0701 |
| Chemistry | 40.0501 |
| Conservation Biology | 26.1307 |
| Environmental Biology | 26.1305 |
| Environmental Education and Interpretation | 26.9999 |
| Environmental Health | 26.1305 |
| Environmental and Natural Resources Conservation | 03.0101 |
| Environmental Resources Engineering | 14.0101 |
| Environmental Science | 03.0104 |
| Land Surveying Technology | 15.1102 |
| Paper Engineering | 14.9999 |
| Paper Science | 14.9999 |
| Wildlife Science | 26.0709 |
Other New York State Grants
Numerous other funding sources from New York State are administered by the Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC). Please click the link above for a detailed list of all of these opportunities.
New York State Excelsior Scholarship
The Excelsior Scholarship Program is intended to provide up to full tuition coverage for eligible new or continuing students attending a SUNY or CUNY institution starting in the fall 2017 semester. For more information please click the link above or visit the SUNY ESF Excelsior Scholarship Page.
Last updated on February 7, 2018