NY A03879

Expands the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) to include graduate students by allowing the Commissioner of Education to classify graduate programs as approved programs eligible for TAP awards

Permits graduate students to qualify for independent student status (excluding parental income from award calculations) without meeting the age or marriage requirements that apply to undergraduate students

Limits graduate student TAP eligibility to a maximum of four academic years of study and restricts awards to one degree program at the master's, first professional, or doctorate level

Caps combined undergraduate and graduate TAP eligibility at eight years total of study

Updates gender-specific language in the Education Law to use gender-neutral terms ("their" instead of "his" or "he")