In this op-ed in Albany's Times Union, the Center’s Christian González-Rivera and Jonathan Bowles argue that at a time when a postsecondary credential is more critical than ever for economic success, public officials should modify the state’s Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) to allow more grants to go to part-time students. Doing so would benefit tens of thousands of poor and working poor students, who are now effectively barred from financial aid for part-time enrollment. They recommend that state officials start a pilot program that extends and evaluates TAP for part-time students, as well as consider creating a single, centralized state financial aid system that grants awards based on how many credits students can actually take.

Link: Click here to read the full op-ed. 

Gonzalez-Rivera is the author of Tapped Out, a Center for an Urban Future policy brief published in December 2014 which details the need to expand the state's Tuition Assistance Program to support more part-time students: