New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is proposing to offer free tuition at New York public colleges for eligible residents.
Governor Andrew Cuomo’s plan, ‘The Excelsior Scholarship,’ would provide free tuition to State or City University of New York colleges for residents whose families earn less than $125,000 a year.
“College is a mandatory step if you really want to be a success. The way this society said we’re going to pay for high school, because you need high school, this society should say we’re going to pay for college,” Cuomo said.
Cuomo made the announcement with Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who promoted free tuition at US public colleges as part of his unsuccessful bid for the Democratic presidential nomination.
“The day will come, when we understand that public education is not simply kindergarten through high school,” Sanders said. “But that public education in the year 2017 means making public colleges and public universities’ tuition free.”
New York has the largest public university system nationwide. If Cuomo’s plan was approved by the state legislature, it would start this fall.