New York Becomes First State To Offer Free College

UPI reports:

New York became the first state to waive college tuition for middle-class students with the passage of a bill in its Senate. Under a plan first introduced in January by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, undergraduate students at State University of New York or City University of New York schools will be eligible for the Excelsior Scholarship if their families earn less than $100,000 a year. By 2019, the income cap will be raised to $125,000. The law will be phased in beginning in September.

The legislation is part of the state’s annual budget bill, and was passed Saturday by the state Assembly and Sunday by the Senate, and will go to Cuomo, a Democrat, for his signature. His office estimated 200,000 students will be affected by the law once it is fully operational.

The bill comes with some provisions: It excludes part-time students, room and board, and other fees. The legislation provides $8 million to promote online educational resources. Students benefiting from the bill are expected to live and work in the state for a number of years equal to their time spent in college. If students leave the state, the scholarships become student loans.

Proud that our plan for affordable tuition would help great students like Wesley Joseph at @SUNY @MaritimeCollege pay for college. pic.twitter.com/J5rBReA7ly

— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) April 9, 2017