Request for Comments

The request for comments is now closed. 

The New York State Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC) is pleased to announce the publication of a Request for Comment (RFC) on a draft solicitation for a Student Financial Aid Processing Portal. HESC has identified 15 areas of feedback where we are seeking comments. Comments should be submitted to [email protected] by April 30, 2025. Responses to this RFC will in no way constitute a bid or proposal.

This RFC is the first step in HESC's large-scale modernization of the systems it uses to process applications for financial aid and administer awards. HESC’s approach is intentionally iterative, and we are seeking feedback from the vendor community on a draft solicitation prior to publication. The draft solicitation will be for a vendor to design and develop a web-based, consolidated portal to help HESC’s staff review and process applications. The Request for Comment is published in the New York Contract Reporter and on HESC’s Procurements page.  

HESC is New York’s student financial aid agency, administering the Tuition Assistance Program along with dozens of other scholarships, grants, and student loan forgiveness programs. HESC receives nearly 440,000 applications each year, including for TAP, one of the nation's largest need-based college financial aid grant programs available for students attending full-time, part-time, and in non-degree programs.