New York could become largest state to offer tuition-free public higher education

New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, right, and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), onstage during a Jan. 3, 2017, event at LaGuardia Community College in New York. Cuomo announced a proposal for free tuition at state colleges for low- and middle-income residents. (Mary Altaffer/AP)

Budget negotiators struck a deal late Friday that could make New York the largest state to offer tuition-free public higher education.

The $153 billion state budget agreement includes the Excelsior Scholarship, which covers tuition for any New Yorker accepted to one of the state’s community colleges or four-year universities, provided their family earns less than $125,000 a year.

Proposed by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo in January, the scholarship taps into one of the Democratic Party’s most popular ideas and advances a bipartisan movement to lower the cost of college that is taking shape across the country.

“Today, college is what high school was — it should always be an option even if you can’t afford it,” Cuomo said in a statement Saturday. “With this program, every child will have the opportunity that education provides.”

The scholarship program will be phased in over three years, beginning for New Yorkers making up to $100,000 annually in the fall of 2017, increasing to $110,000 in 2018, and reaching $125,000 in 2019. Nearly 1 million families will qualify for the scholarship.

Read More:  https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/new-york-to-become-the-largest-state-to-offer-tuition-free-public-higher-education/2017/04/08/3fe0563a-1c8b-11e7-9887-1a5314b56a08_story.html
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