Students who receive TAP or the Excelsior scholarship and wish to apply it to study abroad must fulfill special requirements:
Program eligibility
Both TAP and Excelsior awards may only be applied to certain kinds of study abroad programs. To be “TAP-eligible” or “Excelsior-eligible,” a semester-long program must be one that charges CUNY tuition (i.e., for which you receive a bill for CUNY tuition, even if the tuition is paid for you, for example, if you are a Macaulay, Baruch, or Dean’s Scholar, SEEK student, etc.). At Baruch, the only study abroad programs that are eligible for TAP or Excelsior funding are:
- Exchange programs sponsored by Baruch College, or CUNY-wide exchange programs (for example, the New York-Paris Exchange, or the CUNY Italy Exchange); or
- CUNY-sponsored study abroad programs.
Course eligibility
If you are studying abroad on a “TAP-eligible” or “Excelsior-eligible” program, you become automatically eligible to have your TAP or Excelsior award applied toward the tuition costs of your study abroad program. However, the following criteria must be met:
- You must be enrolled for a minimum of 12 credits.
- You must take at least 12 credits worth of courses that fulfill specific degree requirements (major, minor, Pathways or free electives). Please note: If you enroll in more than 12 credits during the semester abroad, the extra course you take in addition to these 12 credits does NOT have to fulfill a specific degree requirement.
- All students who wish to have their TAP award applied to study abroad will need to meet with the TAP Certifier in the Bursar’s Office and complete a completed StudyAbroad TAP Information Sheet and Acknowledgment Form, which is available from the TAP Certifier or the Study Abroad Office.
- Unlike for students who are studying at Baruch, if you are eligible to receive TAP and are studying abroad, you will receive your TAP award only after you have returned from study abroad. You will need to pay up front the amount of your tuition that would be covered by TAP. You will receive your TAP award retroactively, and only after the TAP certification official has verified that you have met all the requirements. It is therefore vital that you plan carefully, to make certain that the courses you take abroad on a TAP-eligible program actually fulfill degree requirements.
Additional Credit Requirements for the Excelsior Scholarship
Among the conditions Excelsior Scholarship imposes is the requirement that students complete a minimum of 30 credits per year. The Study Abroad Office recommends that students take only 12 academic credits while abroad, in order to allow more time for them to explore the local culture outside the classroom. If students who receive the Excelsior Scholarship enroll in only 12 credits while studying abroad, they may need to enroll in a summer or winter program to make sure they meet this 30-credit requirement. Students may, however, request permission to enroll in 15 credits while abroad. Students who wish to do so should speak to the Director of Study Abroad.
Please consult with the Office of Financial Aid Services and the Registrar’s Office to determine the precise eligibility requirements for TAP and the Excelsior Scholarship and whether your chosen Study Abroad Program meets them.