Cuomo to Propose Free Tuition at New York State Colleges for Eligible Students

ALBANY — Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo will announce a plan Tuesday morning to offer free tuition at state colleges to hundreds of thousands of middle- and low-income New Yorkers, seizing on a popular liberal talking point on the eve of national Republican ascension.

Under the governor’s plan, any college student who has been accepted to a state or city university in New York — including two-year community colleges — will be eligible provided they or their family earn $125,000 or less annually.

Mr. Cuomo, a Democrat, is expected to unveil his proposal at an event in Queens alongside Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who had sought their party’s presidential nomination with a similar stance last year, arguing that student debt was crippling the prospects of generations of young Americans.

Called the Excelsior Scholarship, the funds are envisioned as a way to complete tuition payments by supplementing existing state and federal loan and grant programs, according to administration officials who have been briefed about the governor’s plans but spoke on the condition of anonymity because Mr. Cuomo has not publicly announced the program.

Mr. Cuomo hopes for a quick start for his idea, with a three-year rollout beginning in the fall, though it will require legislative approval, a potential snag when the governor and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have been at odds over a pay raise and other issues.

It was not immediately clear how the program would be paid for, though the administration said the state already provided nearly $1 billion in support through its tuition assistance program; those awards are capped at $5,165, and many of the grants are smaller.

If the plan is approved, the Cuomo administration estimates the program would allow nearly a million New York families with college-age children, or independent adults, to qualify. The estimated costs of the program, when fully put in place in 2019, would be $163 million, though the administration acknowledges that estimate could be too low — or too high — depending on participation.

Current tuition at four-year State University of New York schools for state residents is $6,470; at two-year community colleges the cost is $4,350. Costs for City University of New York schools are approximately the same.

Mr. Cuomo, a centrist with rumored presidential ambition, has tracked left on a series of issues during his second term, championing a higher minimum wage and paid family leave, though he continues to face criticism from some progressive groups over sometimes working closely with Republicans who rule the State Senate.

Mr. Cuomo’s plan will be unveiled around 10:30 a.m. at LaGuardia Community College in Queens.

http://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/03/nyregion/free-tuition-new-york-colleges-plan.html