Exempts the income of dependent applicants from their eligibility determination for excelsior scholarship and tuition assistance program awards and makes adjustments to certain award reduction schedules.
Summary
This bill amends the Education Law to change how income is counted for certain New York student aid programs, primarily the Excelsior Scholarship and the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP). For Excelsior Scholarship eligibility, the bill provides that a dependent applicant’s own income would not be included in the adjusted gross income calculation used to determine eligibility. It also retains the existing income thresholds and other eligibility requirements, such as enrollment, credit completion, and compliance with program rules.
For TAP, the bill similarly excludes the income of a dependent applicant from the income calculation used to determine award eligibility. In addition, it revises several award reduction schedules for students who have been granted exclusion of parental income and are single with no dependents, raising the income ranges and adjusting the reduction formulas. The bill also adds a new rule stating that for students who have not been granted exclusion of parental income and are single with no dependents, the student’s own income shall not be included when determining a reduction to the base amount of the award.
The bill’s practical effect is to expand or clarify access to state higher education aid by preventing a dependent student’s earnings from being counted against family-based eligibility limits. It would affect the State University/City University student aid administration framework, the New York State Higher Education Services Corporation or other administering entity, and applicants for Excelsior and TAP awards. Because it changes statutory income definitions and reduction schedules, it would alter how financial aid applications are evaluated for a subset of students.
The overall sentiment reflected by the bill text is supportive of making aid calculations more favorable to dependent students and simplifying treatment of student income. There are no committee transcripts or recorded votes provided, so there is no documented opposition or debate in the supplied materials. The bill appears to be framed as a technical but student-benefiting adjustment to aid eligibility rules rather than a controversial policy shift.
Notable points of contention, based on the text alone, would likely center on whether excluding dependent students’ income could increase program costs or broaden eligibility beyond current levels, and whether the revised TAP reduction schedules are appropriately calibrated. However, no specific objections, amendments, or stakeholder positions are included in the provided record.
Impact
The bill would amend sections 669-h, 663, and 667 of the Education Law to exclude the income of dependent applicants from the income calculations used for Excelsior Scholarship and TAP eligibility and, in some cases, award reduction determinations. It would also revise TAP reduction thresholds for certain students with excluded parental income and single students with no dependents, thereby changing how awards are calculated and potentially increasing aid for affected applicants. The changes would take effect immediately and would require the administering agency to update eligibility and award-calculation rules.
Sentiment
No committee discussion or vote history was provided, so there is no recorded floor or committee sentiment to summarize. Based on the bill text and caption, the measure appears broadly pro-student and intended to ease financial aid access by removing dependent students’ earnings from eligibility calculations. The absence of recorded opposition suggests no documented controversy in the supplied materials, though the policy could still raise fiscal or administrative concerns in practice.
Contention
The main policy issue raised by the bill is whether dependent students’ own income should be excluded from family income calculations for Excelsior Scholarship and TAP, which would make more students eligible or eligible for larger awards. A secondary issue is the adjustment of TAP reduction schedules, which changes the point at which awards begin to phase down and could affect program costs. No specific opponents, supporters, or negotiated compromises are identified in the provided transcripts or vote history.
Expands eligibility for the tuition assistance program by restoring eligibility to graduate students; makes optional semesters, quarters or terms eligible for awards.
Expands eligibility for the tuition assistance program by restoring eligibility to graduate students; makes optional semesters, quarters or terms eligible for awards.
Allows the higher education services corporation to consider an applicant's change in income due to the loss of employment in determining eligibility and award amount for the tuition assistance program.
Allows the higher education services corporation to consider an applicant's change in income due to the loss of employment in determining eligibility and award amount for the tuition assistance program.