Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) Fact Sheet

7/27/2019 Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) Fact Sheet

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Association of Proprietary Colleges:Tapping New Yorks Potential for

Opportunity and Growth

The Association o Proprietary Colleges (APC)represents New Yorks degree-granting proprietarycolleges and is one o New Yorks our sectors ohigher education. Others include SUNY, CUNY and theindependent colleges.

APC has 27 member colleges on 41 campusesthroughout the state serving approximately 50,000students pursuing associate, bachelors, masters, anddoctoral degrees. A majority of these students arefrom New York and more than 90 percent of APC

students stay in New York after graduation.

Committed to New Yorks Students

The role o an APC college begins with one sustainingmission: to provide students who need or desire aocused entry point into the workorce a clear pathto that goal. In a demand driven economy, whereemployers crave job applicants trained or speciccareers, students choose colleges that can meet thoseneeds. APC colleges educate students or the jobs thatare available now and well into the uture.

In order to ulll this mission, APC colleges arecommitted to providing students a quality educationwith the supports necessary to assist them as theynavigate their way towards obtaining a degree andnding a career.

With small class sizes, exible programs and career-ocused instruction, APC colleges connect studentsto meaningul jobs in a variety o traditionaland emerging proessions, including business

administration, computer programming, health careand visual arts.

APC Colleges are committed to ensuringaccess and making college affordable.During the 2008 and 2009 academic years,APC Colleges provided more than $100million in grants and scholarships.

What Makes APC Colleges Unique?

Teachers are experienced in their elds;they bring real-world experience to theclassroom;

Small class sizes provide studentswith the attention they need to besuccessul;

Accelerated study programs: earnan associate degree in 18 months, abachelors in three years; and

Internship programs that ofer valuableexperiences that lead to ull-timeemployment.

A recent APC survey of 15 colleges

revealed that they employ more than

6,300 people,with an annual payroll topping

$230 million.Our colleges have spent more than

$135 millionin capital investments in recent yearsand paid more than

$32 millionin state and federal taxes in 2009.

Association of Proprietary Colleges 121 State Street, Albany, NY 12207 (518) 437-1867 www.apc-colleges.org


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TAP = Opportunity and Growth

TAP (Tuition AssistanceProgram) was createdin 1974 to make collegeaccessible or all NewYork state residentswishing to attend New

York state colleges anduniversities, regardlesso their economiccircumstances. And intodays rapidly-changingglobal economy a collegeeducation is becomingincreasingly important.Jobs that requirecomplex, high-techskills jobs that pay well

require a college degree, and opportunities or those

without this education are diminishing.

Moreover, the recent economic decline has had aproound impact on New York State as well as itsstudents. Today many students enrolling in collegehave lost their jobs and are seeking to gain newskills this is true across all programs associate,baccalaureate and masters. Students entering collegedirectly rom high school realize a diploma is no longerenough and that they need a degree that will providethem with basic knowledge but also critical thinkingand everyday skills.

For thousands o New York students, TAP has beena gateway to receiving these skills. Reducing TAPmeans college will not be an option or many o NewYorks potential students, primarily those who havethe academic qualications and the desire to attendcollege, but lack the nancial means.

TAP Provides Funding for

Students Who Need it the Most

APC Colleges are proud that Legislaturehas maintained the states commitment

to TAP. The program is an investmentthat pays huge dividends and trulymakes it possible or thousands o

New Yorkers to aford college. Oncestudents graduate, they are able tosecure good jobs here in New Yorkand become productive members otheir communities. Specic budgetrecommendations or SFY 11-12 are:

Standards of Academic Progress

APC Colleges are pleased to see revisedstandards o academic progress andurge the legislature to adopt thesestandards. This years proposal willensure students are working towarddegree completion, while oferingexibility with regard to the number ocredits accumulated during the rst twoyears o college.

Increase Maximum TAP Award for

2-Year Students APC Colleges asksthe Legislature to reject the executiveproposal that decreases the maximum

TAP award or students enrolled in2-year degree programs rom $5,000 to$4,000. All New York students deserve

equal treatment and the chance to go tothe college o their choice. This proposalnegatively impacts the exact studentthis program is intended to serve. Reject

this proposal and continue to invest inthe students who need assistance themost.



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Improving Access to Higher Education

One o the challengeswe ace during this timeo scal uncertainty ishow to maintain accessto higher education. Byincreasing access ormore New Yorkers, wewill be able to provide awell-educated workorce

capable o rebuildingNew Yorks economy.

Businesses will be more willing to bring jobs back to thestate and keep them here when New York can delivera high-quality supply o well-educated proessionals.

Helping Minority Students Obtain aCollege Education

Minority students are earning associate degrees romthe proprietary sector at a higher rate than minoritystudents in other sectors. In 2009, 34 percent ostudents graduating rom 2-year degree programsat proprietary colleges were black and Hispanic, asopposed to just 13 percent at SUNY, 23 percent atindependent colleges and 8 percent at CUNY.

The majority o these graduates ound good paying jobs

right here in New York.

13%

8%

23%

34%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

SUNY CUNY Independent Proprietary

2009 Combined Graduation Rate by Sector,Black and Hispanic Students, Associate

Association of Proprietary Colleges:Tapping New Yorks Potential for

Opportunity and Growth

Providing access to the minority

community is an area in which APCColleges excel. Of the 50,000 students

currently enrolled at APC Colleges, 57

percent are black or Hispanic compared

to 50 percent for CUNY and 18 percent for

both SUNY and independent colleges.

Source: New York State Education Department


23%

10%

51%

35%

SUNY CUNY Indepe nde nt Proprietary0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Statewide

Average

30%

2009 Graduation Rate by Sector,Full Time and Earning a Degree at Institution

First Entered Within Three Years, Associate

A Gateway for Opportunity

APC Colleges graduate students who enter highereducation by enrolling in associate degree programs ata higher percentage than the statewide average, SUNYand CUNY.



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Creating Opportunities for All Students

Students attending APC Colleges are more diverse andnancially needy than students rom other sectors,and many secure unds rom both New Yorks TuitionAssistance Program and the ederal Pell grant programin order to attend college.

APC Colleges enroll more low income students thanSUNY, CUNY and the Independent sectors in New Yorkas evidenced by the percentage o students receivingTAP and Pell both need based grant programs.

40%

18%

6%

3%

6% 5%

2% 1%

74%

55%

9%

4%

69%

42%

34%

50%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

GPA of 90-100 GPA of 80-89 GPA of 70-79 GPA of Less than 70

SUNY CUNY Independent Pro prietary

57%

37%

17%

46%

22%

8%

70%

50%

21%

73%

51%

30%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

GPA o f 90-100 GPA of 80-89 GPA o f 70-79

SUNY CUNY Independent Proprietary

Graduation Rates for AssociateDegree Programs Within Two Years,Grouped by High School GPA, 2009

Graduation Rates for AssociateDegree Programs Within Four Years,Grouped by High School GPA, 2009

64%of all undergraduate students

enrolled in a 2-year proprietarycollege receive TAP funding.

58%of all undergraduate students

enrolled in a 4-year proprietarycollege receive TAP funding.

New Yorks economy becomes more invigorated as moretraditionally low-income residents earn college degreesand join the workorce with salaries that are higher than

those o non-college graduates.

Preparing Educationally DisadvantagedNew Yorkers for Success

APC Colleges recognize that one o New Yorks greatestchallenges will be to ensure a trained workorce thatsready and able to meet the needs o new industries asthe states economy continues to change. According torecent data rom the State Education Department, nearly60 percent o high school graduates in 2009 were not

college and career ready. APC believes we cannot afordto let this segment slip through the cracks and hasdeveloped a model to help educationally disadvantagedstudents, thrive and graduate. This includes remedialprograms, which help students acclimate to the paceand demands o college study; small class sizes, whichprovides a more attentive learning environment; andinternship programs, which energize students byputting them in real work settings.

As you can see rom the charts below, APC Collegeshave a git or working with the educationallydisadvantaged and helping them obtain a degree andnd a good job.




Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) Fact Sheet

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