FINANCIAL AID
CONTACT INFORMATION
Office of Financial Aid
50 West 40th Street, 3rd Floor
New York, NY 10018
financial.aid@guttman.cuny.edu
(646) 313-8011 or (646) 313-8080
The Office of Financial Aid at Guttman Community College is committed to assisting students explore their financial aid options to finance their education.
A college education is one of the best investments you can make, but the cost can often put a strain on your finances. Our mission is to ensure that every eligible Guttman student has access to the financial resources they need to attain their college education. The Financial Aid team is committed to helping you learn about available resources and guiding you through the entire process. We provide guidance on how to maximize your financial aid options, understand important financial aid policies, and maintain eligibility throughout your time at Guttman.
Over 60% of full-time Guttman students attend tuition-free due to receiving a Federal Pell grant, New York State Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) grant or the NYS Excelsior Scholarship, which on average fully covers CUNY’s low tuition costs. For more additional information about financial aid programs and policies, please visit the financial aid website. To learn more about what CUNY offers, please visit CUNY’s financial aid website.
Financial aid advisement is available by visiting the HUB Student Information Center on the third floor, by appointment on Navigate360 with a financial aid advisor, or by attending our in-person or virtual Financial Aid Support Sessions held throughout the academic year. Visit Campus Groups to view our Support Sessions. We are also available by phone at 646-313-8011 or via email at financial.aid@guttman.cuny.edu.
HOW TO APPLY FOR FINANCIAL AID
Guttman Community College disburses both Federal and New York State financial aid to all eligible students. To be considered for financial aid eligibility, you must apply for financial aid every year, and the first step is to submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Both the FAFSA and TAP applications are free of charge.
Below are helpful steps on how to apply for financial aid.
Step One: Create a studentaid.gov account (FSA ID) and submit the 2026-27 FAFSA.
A student’s eligibility for Federal Student Aid can only be determined once they have successfully submitted the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
Use 2024 federal tax return information to complete the 2026-27 FAFSA.
If you are a dependent student, your parents’ information is required.
All FAFSA contributors must provide consent and approval to have their Federal Tax Information (FTI) transferred directly into the FAFSA via direct data exchange with the IRS. Being a contributor does not imply financial responsibility. A contributor is anyone who is required to provide information on a student’s FAFSA (student, biological or adopted parent, stepparent, student’s spouse).
It is important to add Guttman’s Federal School Code (042101) to your FAFSA application. If Stella and Charles Guttman Community College is not listed on your FAFSA application, we will not receive your FAFSA; therefore, we will be unable to process your Federal Student Aid.
Step Two: Submit the 2026-27 NYS Student Aid Payment Application (TAP)
Do not skip this step! After completing the FAFSA, click on the state application link from your FAFSA confirmation page to begin the TAP Application (TAP - Tuition Assistance Program). If the link is not displayed, you will receive a separate email from Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC), which provides directions on how to complete the application online.
How to complete the NYS Student Aid Payment Application:
Apply at https://www.tap.hesc.ny.gov/totw/
Create, retrieve, reset your HESCPIN
Use 2024 New York State tax return information
Choose CUNY Stella and Charles Guttman CC as your school choice. It is important to select Guttman as your school choice on the TAP application; otherwise Guttman will not be able to access your TAP application to determine your eligibility.
Undocumented students can receive NYS financial aid through the Senator José Peralta New York State DREAM Act application.
Step Three: Pay attention to your CUNYfirst “Tasks and Holds” and “To Do List”
It is important to resolve your CUNYfirst Tasks and Holds items listed on your To Do List. Your CUNYfirst To Do List will display the documents you need to submit to the Office of Financial Aid to determine your financial aid eligibility. If the To Do List items are not resolved, the Office of Financial Aid will not be able to finalize your financial aid package. We encourage you to submit the required documents through the ProVerifier+ portal promptly to avoid delays in processing your financial aid.
SCHOLARSHIPS
Excelsior Scholarship
The Excelsior Scholarship is a New York State funded grant program that, when combined with other types of financial aid (i.e. Pell, TAP), will allow eligible students to attend Guttman tuition free.
Note: To retain Excelsior eligibility, you must be enrolled in at least 12 credits per term and complete at least 30 credits each year (successively), applicable toward your program of study. To meet the annual 30-credit requirement, it is recommended that students register for at least 15 credits per term.
For additional Excelsior Scholarship eligibility information, visit the HESC website.
New York State Opportunity Promise (NYSOP) Scholarship
New York State offers a scholarship through the CUNY Reconnect program that provides free tuition, fees, books, and supplies for NY State residents between the ages of 25-55 to earn an associate’s degree if they meet certain eligibility criteria:
Resident of New York State or eligible for in-state tuition
Between the ages of 25-55
No prior degree
Can have college credits, certificate, or microcredential(s)
Enrolled in approved associate degree program at Guttman community college
Must file the FAFSA (if eligible) and/or NYS TAP or the NYS DREAM Act.
Visit the CUNY Reconnect webpage for a list of eligible majors for the scholarship at Guttman Community College.
FINANCIAL AID POLICIES
Below are the most common financial aid policies to help you navigate the requirements for maintaining your financial aid eligibility. For additional information on financial eligibility and requirements, please visit our financial aid website.
Financial Aid Verification
The U.S. Department of Education chooses applications to verify at random; this process is called Verification, and it is used to ensure the information reported on your FAFSA is accurate. To successfully complete the verification process, you must submit certain required documents to the Office of Financial Aid. Your documents will be matched against the information you reported on your FAFSA.
After you submit your information, your application will be reviewed and, if necessary, corrected. Reprocessing your application, if required, can take up to 2-4 weeks during peak time. A Financial Aid Offer notification will be emailed to you once your eligibility is determined.
Financial Aid Certification Date
Guttman has a modular academic calendar that allows students to enroll in two sessions per term (Fall I/Fall II and Spring I/Spring II). Financial aid eligibility is determined based on a student’s matriculation, cost of attendance (COA), Student Aid Index (SAI), remaining financial aid, academic standing, and enrollment (amount of credits registered in a given term). Your enrollment for the term (which includes both sessions) is locked on the seventh day of the term. Please refer to the Academic Calendar for details.
On the seventh day of the term, the financial aid office locks your enrollment, so it is important to pre-register for your Session II courses, if applicable, by the 7th day of the term. If you are enrolled in Session I only or both Sessions, your financial aid offer will be based on the enrollment locked in on the seventh day of the term. If you need to make changes to your registration, the Office of Financial Aid advises that you speak to an academic advisor and a financial aid advisor first, as changes to your enrollment may affect your financial aid offer for the term. For Session II only enrollment (Fall II/Spring II), reach out to the Office of Financial to determine your eligibility.
Failure to Attend One or More Courses (WN Grades)
If a student receives a WN administrative grade in one or more courses, it means that the instructor has reported that they have never attended the course. A WN administrative grade affects the student’s financial aid eligibility (for example, financial aid awards may be reduced or removed) and may create a balance, which is the student’s responsibility to pay back to Guttman Community College. A WN administrative grade is not eligible for financial aid and does not count toward your enrollment for the term.
Important Note: While a WN administrative grade is not eligible for financial aid, the course is still billed to the student, which may create a balance on the student’s account. It is the student’s responsibility to pay the college for any tuition and fee charges not covered by financial aid. If a student is aware that they will not be attending a particular course for a session, the student should contact their academic advisor and a financial aid advisor to evaluate their options.
Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)
All Guttman students who receive Federal Title IV funding (Pell, SEOG, Federal Work Student, Direct Loans, etc.) and NYS Financial Aid funding must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) to retain financial aid eligibility. Failure to maintain SAP will result in the loss of future eligibility for Federal and/or NYS financial aid. See additional information on the SAP policies for Federal and NYS Financial Aid programs and how to appeal to reinstate your eligibility.
IMPACTS OF WITHDRAWING FROM CLASSES
Return of Federal Financial Aid
To establish eligibility for any federal financial aid payments, you must begin attending your classes. Once you start attending classes, the Federal government requires that you “earn” your financial aid awards in direct proportion to the number of days in the semester that you do attend. If a student completely withdraws from school before completing the term, the College must calculate, according to a federally prescribed formula, Return of Title IV (R2T4), the portion of the total scheduled financial assistance the student has earned and is therefore entitled to receive up to the time of withdrawal.
Withdrawing from classes can have both short-term and long-term effects on a student’s eligibility to receive financial aid payments. For example, a student may discover after withdrawing from a class that their tuition charges remain the same, but their financial aid is reduced or eliminated. The student may also be asked to repay money they received in a financial aid payment because they subsequently withdrew from classes; the student might find that they are not eligible to receive a payment in the current semester because they had too many withdrawals in past semesters. These situations can leave the student having to pay tuition bills and other school expenses out of pocket.
If a student withdraws – W, WD, WA or WU grades are assigned – during a term or session, federal regulations require the Office of Financial Aid to apply a formula established by the U.S. Department of Education to determine the amount of federal financial aid earned as of the withdrawal date from the college. The calculation determines the amount of Title IV Federal aid a student has “earned” by dividing the number of days completed by the number of days in the term or session. The percentage completed is then multiplied by the overall Title IV aid the student was eligible for had they not withdrawn. If the amount of aid earned is less than the amount disbursed to the student’s account, funds must be returned to the U.S. Department of Education. Federal Title IV funds that are considered in the R2T4 calculation include: Pell Grant, SEOG, Direct Loan.
Unofficial Withdrawal
If a student stops attending classes during a semester and does not officially withdraw, they will be considered an unofficial withdrawal; a WU grade will be assigned by the instructor. In such cases, the Return of Federal Aid rules will apply. If a student decides not to attend Guttman Community College, it is their obligation to properly withdraw from their classes. Non-attendance of classes does not classify as an official withdrawal and does not relieve the student of their financial obligation nor entitle the student to a refund.
Note: In cases where funds need to be returned, this may create an outstanding balance on the student’s Guttman account. The student will be responsible for any outstanding balance when funds are returned to U.S. Department of Education.
Federal Direct Loan Eligibility as of July 1, 2026
On July 4, 2025, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) was signed into law, resulting in changes to federal student aid programs. These changes may impact your Federal Direct Loan eligibility starting with the 2026-27 academic year. Withdrawing from classes or ceasing enrollment can impact your future Direct Loan eligibility.
A student is considered registered full-time if they enroll in at least 12 credits for the term (24 credits for the academic year). If you’re enrolled less than full-time for an academic year, your annual loan limits shown in the chart below are adjusted downward proportionally based on your level of enrollment.
Maximum Annual & Aggregate Loan Amounts
Dependent Students | Direct Loan Subsidized Amount | Additional Direct Loan Unsubsidized Amount | Total Subsidized & Unsubsidized Direct Loan Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
1st year – less than 30 credits earned | up to $3,500 per year | up to $2,000 per year | up to $5,500 per year |
2nd year – more than 30 credits earned | up to $4,500 per year | up to $2,000 per year | up to $6,500 per year |
Undergraduate aggregate maximum | up to $23,000 | up to $8,000 | up to $31,000 |
INDependent Students | Direct Loan Subsidized Amount | Additional Direct Loan Unsubsidized Amount | Total Subsidized & Unsubsidized Direct Loan Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
1st year – less than 30 credits earned | up to $3,500 per year | up to $6,000 per year | up to $9,500 per year |
2nd year – more than 30 credits earned | up to $4,500 per year | up to $6,000 per year | up to $10,500 per year |
Undergraduate aggregate maximum | up to $23,000 | up to $34,000 | up to $57,500 |
Withdrawing from classes may result in a reduction of future loan disbursements. Your annual Federal Direct loan amount will be reduced based on the percentage of your enrollment that is less than full-time. With the new regulations, federal loans are now treated as annual loans tied to enrollment for the full academic year. No more than 50% of your annual loan eligibility may be disbursed for a single term. If you make changes to your enrollment mid-year, (for example: you withdraw or enroll less than full-time in the Spring term), your remaining loan disbursements will be adjusted in the Spring to reflect the updated academic year enrollment.
All Federal Direct Loans, except for the Parent Plus loan, are subject to this reduction requirement.
For more information, refer to the One Big Beautiful Act Updates or visit our website.
Have a Question?
If you have questions about the financial aid application process or to learn more information about the financial aid programs available, visit our financial aid website or contact us directly at financial.aid@guttman.cuny.edu, 646-313-8011, or by visiting The HUB on the third floor.