Important Update (6/11/2020)
The NYS Board of Regents recently approved the following emergency amendment to Section 145-2.15(e)(1) of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education permitting the remote administration and proctoring of the Ability-to-Benefit (ATB) tests approved by the Regents for purposes of eligibility for New York State student financial aid:
A new subparagraph (iv) is added to read as follows:
(iv) where testing centers and institutions are unable to administer and proctor the test at such locations identified in subparagraphs (i), (ii), or (iii) of this subdivision due to the State of emergency declared by the Governor pursuant to an Executive Order for the COVID-19 crisis the test may be administered and proctored remotely provided such remote administration and proctoring is in accordance with federal requirements.
This allowance is in effect as long as federal guidance allows it and the NYS emergency exists.
For students seeking Federal Financial Aid that have not received a high school diploma or GED, the Federal Government requires that you demonstrate the ability to benefit from a college education.
In December 2014, Congress restored the Ability to Benefit (ATB) provision of the Higher Education Act. (The provision had been dropped in July 2012 as part of federal budget cuts.)
Under the ATB provision, otherwise-eligible students — who do not have a high school diploma or its recognized equivalent but are enrolled in Title IV eligible programs — may qualify for federal financial aid.
*All New York residents who have a high school diploma from outside the United States are required to meet the New York State ATB standards in order to be eligible for the state’s Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) and NY State Aid.
All students who do not have a high school diploma or its equivalent (GED), must take an independently administered ATB test. To qualify on the Ability-To-Benefit test, all sections of the test must be taken each time a retest is taken. Federal guidelines for ATB tests require students to pass the three sections of the test “in a single administration of the test” in order to be eligible for Financial Aid benefits.