Governor Cuomo Proposes Free Tuition for State and Public Colleges

New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo has recently proposed plans to pursue free tuition for state residents enrolled at public colleges and universities. Two year colleges are also included under this plan.   This initiative was first proposed by Bernie Sanders during the 2016 campaign season.  If approved this can be the first proposal of its  kind for four year state colleges.

Under Cuomo’s plan all students from incomes of less than $125,000 annually will become eligible for funds that are not covered by scholarships or federal aid.  This move could help more than 200,000 students seeking enrollment in city and state colleges by the year 2019.  This gesture was in response to the rising costs of tuition over the years that has made higher education unaffordable for the middle class.

The proposal was unveiled at LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City, Queens with Bernie Sanders by his side who called this idea “revolutionary.”Tennessee and Oregon have programs that cover the cost of community colleges but New York will be at the forefront offering tuition to four year colleges in the state university system as well.  Under the proposal, the state would complete students’ tuition payments with supplemental existing state and federal grant programs.  Some students could end up having their whole four year education covered.

Governor Cuomo hopes for a quick start for his proposal with a three year roll out beginning this fall with a $100,000 income limit and then slowly rising to $125,000 by 2019.  Initial estimates for the administration said the program would allow nearly a million New York families with college aged children or independent adults to qualify.  This step would allow the middle class much more access to higher education for their children without having to carry the load of financial burden in the future.