Office of Student Financial AssistanceJuly 2020

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ASAP and ACE ◦ General Guidelines ◦ Award formula◦ Packaging and repackaging in CUNYfirst◦ Exceptions◦ Disbursement Dates and Rules

MHC◦ Eligibility ◦ Student Assistance benefits◦ MHC Award Calculation and Selection Criteria◦ Summer and Winter Tuition Policies

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SEEK and College Discovery (CD)◦ Eligibility ◦ Application Process◦ Program Eligibility & Requirements

Q & A

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Laura Forero & Jori Happonen

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ASAP (Accelerated Study in Associate Programs)◦ offered at six CUNY Community Colleges◦ helps students earn associate degrees within three years by providing a range of financial,

academic and personal support

Provided support includes:◦ Waivers for tuition and mandatory fees◦ Metrocards◦ Additional financial assistance to reduce the cost of textbooks◦ Comprehensive and personalized advisement, career development and tutoring

ACE (Accelerate Complete Engage) is a spinoff of the ASAP program for Senior Colleges◦ Currently only available at John Jay and Lehman colleges

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To be eligible for an ASAP or ACE award, a student must◦ Have been accepted into the program and be active in either the ASAP or ACE2 student group◦ Have completed the FASFA and TAP applications◦ Complete federal verification, if selected◦ Be in receipt of PELL or TAP for the term◦ Enroll full-time (min. 12 credits) for the term or have a part-time override variable◦ Meet residency requirements below

Residency requirements◦ ASAP: Must be New York City residents or have a valid certificate of residence (to qualify for resident tuition)

◦ ACE: Must be eligible for in-state tuition

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Campus ASAP/ACE office determines which students will receive summer ASAP/ACE awards◦ Students should contact the ASAP office to determine eligibility◦ Preference is given to students who will be graduating soon

Differences compared to Fall and Spring awarding:◦ Does not have to be enrolled full-time◦ Does not have to complete verification for the back-end aid year◦ Does not need to meet SAP for either aid year◦ Does not have to receive a TAP or Pell scholarship◦ Must have the Summer Special Programs packaging variable flag checked Maintained by the campus ASAP/ACE office

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Fall and Spring◦ Total ASAP/ACE = Tuition + fees – Pell – TAP –NYS Vallone –HESC Scholarships

Summer ◦ Total ASAP = Tuition + fees – summer front/back Pell – summer STEM

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To be awarded ASAP or ACE, the student must meet all of the general eligibility criteria

Repackaging adjusts the awards up or down when the Pell, TAP or Vallone awards offered change

Awards are cancelled if student is inactivated in the ASAP or ACE2 student group during the term

Student TAP or FAFSA application is received, or student completes verification The system will not adjust awards that are locked, put on with professional

judgement or declined

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Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC)

◦ packages new and continuing students with open verification checklists

New York City College of Technology (CityTech), Lehman College and Queensborough Community College

◦ Package new students with open verification checklists

The awards will be automatically offered, but they will not disburse until verification is completed

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All less-than-fulltime terms should have the campus ASAP/ACE director’s approval

Examples of circumstances where the part-time enrollment is approved:◦ Student has completed all other degree requirements and has less than 12 credits towards their

degree left in their last semester◦ Required courses are cancelled or not available◦ The college requires the student to take less than 12 credits◦ Student is experiencing documented special circumstances discussed with his/her advisor that

necessitate a short-term drop to part-time status

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PTO Override option can be used for the students that received part-time approvals from their ASAP director

The financial aid ASAP advisor must manually enter the PTO in the packaging variables and retrieve the ASAP fall or ASAP spring repackaging plans to allow the system to automatically calculate the waiver without locking the award

The navigation is: Financial Aid> Awards> Award Processing> Assign Packaging Variables

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The ASAP financial aid specialist will be responsible for awarding students who don’t meet the criteria to be packaged by the automated system. The award should also be locked to prevent system repackaging The award must also be manually disbursed

Examples of students must be packaged manually◦ Students who don’t file a FAFSA, but are approved by the ASAP Director ◦ Undocumented Students, recipients of the Dream Scholarship, and graduating

students◦ Summer ASAP/ACE: students with back-end Pell It is recommended to wait for all Summer back-end Pell to be disbursed before

awarding the Summer ASAP Scholarship.

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Disbursement dates:

Disbursement dates for Fall and Spring are set after the 21 day of the term mirroring the disbursement date of the TAP

Disbursement runs once a week on the first day of the week (generally Mondays)

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Term CUNYPROG packaging frequency

Repackaging frequency

Fall Tuesday - Friday Monday – FridaySpring Tuesday - Friday Monday – FridaySummer Monday, Wednesday Monday, Wednesday

Disbursement rules are set up in the system to prevent disbursement of ASAP awards for which the student is not yet eligible

The ASAP/ACE award will not show up under the student account if:◦ Student does not have an official Fed EFC

◦ They have an incomplete verification

◦ No longer enrolled

◦ Not enrolled for at least 12 credits

◦ Has an ASAP/ACE disbursement service indicator

◦ Has a CUNY Edits Checklist

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NYS Dreamers are eligible for the ASAP and ACE scholarships without having to file for a FAFSA

The configuration was changed for 2020 aid year to automatically package students who filled out their TAP application and have at least a dollar of TAP, but have no FAFSA◦ These awards will be automatically offered, but must be manually authorized and

disbursed

ASAP students missing a FAFSA should be directed to see their ASAP advisor, so that the department can determine if the award needs to be manually disbursed, or if the student must complete their FAFSA

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Oswald Mervius

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The Macaulay Honors College (MHC) provides outstanding educational opportunities for academically gifted students from the five boroughs of New York City and beyond. This program is designed for students who have demonstrated scholastic strength and broad intellectual curiosity through their high school academic records, test scores, extracurricular involvements and other academic criteria. In-state students receive full undergraduate scholarships for 4 years or 5 years for an approved program.

The Macaulay Honors College is on 8 CUNY campuses: Baruch College, Brooklyn College, City College, College of Staten Island, Hunter College, John Jay College, Lehman College, and Queens College.

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Students must apply to CUNY by submitting the Macaulay Honors College online application.

Application Requirements:◦ High School Academic Record (Official High School Transcripts)◦ SAT/ACT Scores◦ 2 Essays◦ Academic and Character references◦ An Interview

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In order to be eligible for Macaulay Honors College Funds, prospective and continuing Macaulay students must complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

All New York State residents must also complete a New York State Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) application.

Undocumented/DACA students can complete the Senator José Peralta New York State DREAM Act Application.

Out-of-state and International students are not eligible for the MHC Tuition Scholarship, however can still be eligible for the Macaulay Honors College program benefits.

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Tuition scholarship: In-state students (regardless of their immigration status) receive undergraduate tuition scholarships for four years. For the purposes of this document, tuition scholarship and tuition waiver will be used interchangeably.

Opportunities Fund: Every Macaulay student has access to a study grant to support such endeavors as global study, internships, and research. All requests must be approved both by the Macaulay Honors College Program Advisor/Director at the participating CUNY College and by the Opportunities Fund Review Committee.

Laptop Computer: Macaulay students each receive a laptop computer, subject to the terms and conditions of the laptop agreement, which each student signs upon receipt.

Cultural Passport: Macaulay students receive a card which provides free or discounted entry to several New York arts venues.

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Macaulay students are required to file TAP but do not have to be eligible for TAP to receive a Macaulay Tuition Scholarship.

Students who are TAP Eligible and enrolled in a 4 year program, however must declare a major within 30 days of the end of the drop/add period in their junior year. Students who lose TAP eligibility for failure to meet this requirement will not be eligible to receive the Macaulay Tuition Scholarship, for the semester in which TAP eligibility was lost.

Macaulay students must register and complete a minimum of 12 credits during the regular academic year (fall and spring) to be eligible for a tuition scholarship.

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All eligible MHC students (NY residents) will receive the Macaulay Honors Tuition Scholarship minus aid from the following sources: NYS TAP, NYSHESC Scholarships, NYS TAP Waiver, CUSTA, Federal Pell Grant, Peter F Vallone scholarship and other scholarships.

Awards are auto-packaged on to the Student’s financial aid record if they meet the following:◦ EFC Status is not rejected or blank (no ISIR)◦ Student is enrolled for either 12 credits, or have PTO (Part-time Override) for the term◦ Tuition residency is NYC or IN State◦ Student does not have an FNP(Financial Aid Not Eligible) service indicator◦ Must be active in MHC student group

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Macaulay supports summer course work of up to 8 credits during each summer, starting after completion of the first year (summer of the sophomore year). Students enrolled in more than 8 credits are responsible for the cost of tuition above the 8 credits.

Students enrolled in Winter Courses will have one course (up to four credits) will be covered by the scholarship and students will be responsible for the balance if they choose to take more credits/classes.

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Dzelika Daniel

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SEEK (Search for Education, Elevation and Knowledge) is a New York State program at CUNY’s senior and comprehensive colleges designed to assist students who are both academically and financially disadvantaged.

CD (College Discovery) is the companion program funded by the City of New York at the community colleges.

Admission into the SEEK or CD program is part of the CUNY admissions process.

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Opportunity program students receive various forms of financial aid.

Tuition is usually paid through TAP. Federal Pell grants assist in paying non-tuition costs. Opportunity program students who have properly

documented financial need may also receive:◦ a stipend of fixed amount to cover books and college costs◦ an award to cover student fees.*

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College Discovery SEEK

be a legal resident of New York City for at least one year prior to entering college;

be a high school graduate or recipient of a state-approved equivalency diploma;

have a college admissions average of less than 80;

be a first year student; and have a gross family income that meets the

New York State guidelines.

be a legal resident of New York State for at least one year prior to entering college;

be a high school graduate or recipient of a state-approved equivalency diploma;

be inadmissible according to the admissions criteria established for the CUNY four-year college you want to attend;

be a first-time freshman or previously enrolled in College Discovery (CD) Program, an Educational Opportunity Program (EOP), or Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP); and

have a gross family income that meets the New York State guidelines.

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*For family units with more than eight members, add the following amount for each additional family member: $8,177.*For the 2020-21 incoming class, the 2019 income poverty guidelines are to be used with the 2018 tax information (prior-prior) when selecting eligible students.

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A maximum of 15 percent of the SEEK/College Discovery students enrolled at any given time may come from households with income exceeding those listed in the income eligibility table.

Inclusion in this category shall be warranted by unusual and extenuating circumstances (as identified below), documented by a reliable, disinterested third party and judged appropriate by the Program Director in cooperation with campus officials.

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Students are eligible to transfer between or into a CUNY Special Program if they are transferring from a college in New York State where they were enrolled in:◦ the Educational Opportunity Program,◦ the Higher Educational Opportunity Program, ◦ a SEEK or College Discovery program.

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Undocumented students are eligible for Special Program admission as long they:◦ meet the specified income guidelines for the designated year and file

a NYS Senator Jose Peralta Dream Application.◦ must meet the New York State residency requirement listed above.

Note: College Discovery students, in addition to meeting the New York State residence requirement, must also meet the New York City residence requirement as well.

Students on diplomatic or student visa categories (J-1, F-1) are not eligible for Special Programs.

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Student must complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and a NYS Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) application by the deadline date established by the University/College.

Student must complete any items requested for verification of these applications. These must be completed to determine eligibility for any SEEK/CD financial aid awards (Summer Stipends, Book Stipends, Fee Waivers and Tuition Scholarship).

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The SEEK and College Discovery programs offer a pre-freshman summer program that students must attend with instruction in reading, writing, math and sciences as well as programs including basic skills, for students throughout their undergraduate studies.

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A SEEK student is allowed ten (10) semesters of program funding eligibility. CD students are allowed six (6) semesters, or the equivalent, of

opportunity program eligibility. A SEEK student enrolled in an approved Five-year baccalaureate program is

allowed twelve (12) semesters, or equivalent, of opportunity program eligibility if enrolled in a registered five-year baccalaureate program.

Exception: When a Special Programs student is set to graduate upon the completion of their 11th semester for SEEK or the 7th semester for CD, that student would be eligible for that additional semester of Special Program services and financial support.

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Must be enrolled as a matriculated student in a Degree seeking program (a NYS approved Bachelor’s or Associate degree program).

Student must have an EFC and/or Cost of Attendance budget for the academic year/semester that permits the Special Program awards to disburse to the student’s account (i.e. EFC calculated by the FAFSA along with total grant financial aid (TAP and Pell award) cannot exceed the total Cost of Attendance).

Student must be registered as a full-time student for the awarding semester with 12 credits or more (unless a one-time part-time waiver has been requested and granted on the students’ behalf).

Book Funds and Student Fee Waivers/Credits should be disbursed as early in a semester as is possible. Back payments will be allowed throughout the term, however reconciliation of Special Program award disbursements for the academic year should be completed no later than the end of the current fiscal year.

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