Dear Friends:

Thank you for your outstanding support during our recent campaign to convince state lawmakers to reject the proposed changes to the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP).

With help from your participation in our e-advocacy campaign, our elected representatives in Albany were convinced that changes to TAP would have had detrimental effects on the ability of New Yorkers to access and pay for higher education. Specifically, the Legislature rejected the following proposals to:

• Increase full-time status for TAP eligibility from 12 to 15 credits;
• Increase the academic standards of progress and create a new standard for remediation students;
• Eliminate TAP for graduate students;
• Prohibit students who have defaulted on federal loans from being eligible for TAP; and
• Eliminate the TAP award enhancement for TAP applicants with multiple family members.

In addition, the Legislature approved a new low-interest loan program known as NYHELPs which, in tandem with state and federal grants, will help make college more affordable for tens of thousands of New Yorkers.

The Association of Proprietary Colleges (APC) had argued that TAP is an essential component as New York strives to improve access to higher education, especially among low-income and minority populations. Because of your work, we are confident that TAP will be preserved for the current budget year.

Thank you again for your commitment to this effort.

Sincerely,
The Association of Proprietary Colleges