FEBRUARY
h e a lt h
8,
2017
an annual report
l
education
l
technology
what is the true cost of
free college?
Riley Bunch
Public, private schools debate Cuomo’s free state tuition plan
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By Riley Bunch
arlier this month New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo unveiled his Excelsior Scholarship Program, a plan to make college free for students whose families make less than $125,000 a year. According to the governor’s office, an estimated 940,000 New York households have college-aged children who would be eligible for the program. The three year phase-in, beginning in the fall, will total $163 million towards tuition aid by 2019. As the proposal advances to the New York State
Legislature, both public and private colleges are debating the equity of the program and expressing concerns over funding, as well as increasing resources to accommodate an influx of students into the SUNY
and CUNY systems. Although it is still unclear how the state plans to fund the program when taking into account the projected $3.5 billion deficit in the next state budget, Cuomo has suggested it may come from a tax increase for New York’s wealthiest residents. Tuition at New York’s state-operated colleges, which includes 64 SUNY campuses, is $6,470 at four-year schools and $4,350 at community colleges for the 2016-2017 school year. The City University of New York’s campuses have similar tuition costs. The Excelsior Scholarship would cover the remainFree tuition plan l Page 4