Are you a high school student? Do you live in New York? Do your parents make less than $125k per year? Yes to just that last one?
Oh.
Well if you had fit all three of those criteria, you could have gone to college for free under a proposal that was presented on Tuesday by NY governor Andrew Cuomo. Alongside Bernie Sanders, who campaigned on free tuition to all public universities, Cuomo unveiled the plan at LaGuardia Community College in Queens.
Cuomo said that the program would apply to full-time students who enroll at State and City universities, and would also apply to community colleges. Additionally, Sanders predicted "If New York state does it this year, mark my words, state after state will follow."
"It should be a wake-up call to this nation," Cuomo said, according to the Associated Press. "To say if you really want to be competitive globally, we have to have the best educated workforce, and that means we have to have college for every child, man or woman who wants to attend."
Cuomo's plan could effect an estimated 940,000 households, and (starting this fall) would be implemented over the course of three years. Cuomo's office estimated that the plan would cost about $163 million annually, and would cover whatever tuition still exists after the application of state and federal aid.
SUNY/CUNY tuition averages $6,500 per year for a bachelor's degree and $4,350-$4,880 for an associate's degree. On top of that, New York's public universities are the nation's largest system, with over 440,000 students registered on 64 statewide campuses.
Similar proposals have been sponsored by members of the Assembly's Democratic majority in the past, according to Assembly spokesman Michael Whyland. Another spokesman, this one for the Republican-led state senate, said majority members have made an extended effort towards increasing the eligibility for New York's Tuition Assistance Program.
Education leaders have their fingers crossed that the plan will create incentives for students to enroll full-time and also complete their educations. If you're a student—or a parent—you should probably just have yours crossed that said proposal will save you from having to take on loads of debt.
