Starting in August, new changes to CUNY's Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) will require that students take 15 credits instead of the usual 12. Thousands of Hispanic and minority university students will be affected, according to City Councilman Ydanis Rodríguez, chairman of the City Council's Higher Education Committee.

TAP is the largest financial aid program in New York State, and helps residents to pay for tuition at public universities. Eligibility for TAP depends on the income of the student and his or her family.   

According to the CUNY admissions office, to receive TAP funding, a student has to be enrolled full-time and taking at least 12 credits, or the equivalent number of credits required for the student's major. 

Part-time students can only receive TAP funding if they have already completed a minimum of 12 credits over each of two consecutive semesters, ending up with a total minimum of 24 credits. 

Ronald Angamarca, 19 years old and a liberal arts student at the NYC College of Technology, will be one of those affected. He said that in order for him to take 12 credits, he would have to enroll in 5 classes, which would only let him work as a bank teller part-time.

"If they raise the requirements for TAP to 15 credits, I'll have to stop working, or take fewer classes," said Angamarca. "Twelve credits is a lot for me, it's a lot of hours, and 15 credits would be too much. I hope that the authorities re-consider these changes," he said.

José Ramos is a program specialist at Single Stop, an organization that helps students to access government benefits and financial aid. Ramos said that the new TAP regulations would mainly affect new students, especially since they have to take basic courses like reading, writing, and math before beginning a major, "and these classes are only worth 1 to 3 credits."