New York Governor Andrew Cuomo Proposes Free Tuition at NY State Colleges for Eligible Students
UPDATE: New York approves budget for tuition-free-four-year college
Catering to younger Democrats, Gov. Andrew Cuomo tackled an ever present issue that has been plaguing college students and post graduates for years: college tuition/debt. On Tuesday, Cuomo unveiled his plan to cover tuition costs at state colleges for hundreds of thousands of middle-and low-income New Yorkers in what has been dubbed the Excelsior Scholarship. The initiative would be directed to students accepted into a state or city university in NY, including two-year community colleges. The students would be eligible, provided they or their family earn $125,000 or less a year.
This move is a major one and would give those who ruled out college because of its financial burden a chance at a higher education and ultimately a better life.
"College is a mandatory step if you really want to be a success,” Cuomo said during an appearance at LaGuardia Community College in Queens. “And the way this society said we are going to pay for high school because you need high school, this society should say we’re going to pay for college because you need college to be successful.”
Those who have been fortunate enough to attend college, but who also now face the looming burden of insurmountable debt ( myself included) would have definitely benefited from this new proposal.
“It is incredibly hard, and getting harder, to get a college education today,” Cuomo said. “It is incredibly expensive, and the debt is so high it’s like starting a race with an anchor tied to your leg.”
State legislative leaders reacted cautiously to Cuomo’s proposal, which will likely be included in the upcoming negotiations over the state’s 2017-2018 budget.
Senate GOP spokesman Scott Reif added that “while we will have to review the specifics when the governor releases his executive budget, this proposal appears to move us in a positive direction.”