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HESC acting president details TAP and Opportunity Promise changes as FAFSA outreach boosts completions

Joint Legislative Higher Education Budget Hearing (Assembly Ways and Means Committee & Senate Finance Committee) ยท February 25, 2026

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Summary

Acting HESC president Doris Gonzalez said HESC disbursed over $935 million in aid in 2024-25 and that recent TAP changes and outreach increased FAFSA completion; HESC also described expansions to Opportunity Promise and veteranss tuition awards in the governors budget.

Acting HESC President Doris Gonzalez briefed lawmakers on student aid changes and the agencys modernization plan. Gonzalez said HESC distributed roughly $935 million in financial aid last academic year, serving nearly 294,000 students across more than 30 grant, scholarship and loan-forgiveness programs.

She highlighted changes that made TAP more accessible: consolidation of part-time TAP programs and lowering the part-time credit minimum from six to three credits, which HESC said helped expand access. Gonzalez credited legislative actions and HESC outreach for lifting New York to the fifth-highest state ranking in FAFSA completion, saying more than half of high school seniors had already submitted the 2026-27 FAFSA by mid-February.

Gonzalez described executive budget proposals that impact HESC programs, including expanded eligibility for the Opportunity Promise Scholarship to adult learners up to age 55 and enhancements to veterans tuition transferability in the Veterans Tuition Award beginning in 2027-28. She also outlined HESCs plans to modernize its student aid processing systems and restore some live phone support through a contract with an Office of Children and Family Services call center.

Lawmakers requested follow-up data on FAFSA completion rates broken down by district and on net student costs after institutional aid; Gonzalez said HESC would provide district-level and program-specific figures. She also said HESC would return with details requested by legislators about transferability rules, program participation and the states part-time TAP consolidation outcomes.

HESC said it is engaged in outreach and technology modernization to shorten response times and improve service delivery to students who apply for state aid.