Groups criticize New York’s free college tuition program
On Monday, Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Excelsior Scholarship, a first-in-the-nation program that provides free tuition to full-time college students whose families earn up to $125,000 a year, passed the state budget vote and will be phased in as early as fall of 2017. Although Cuomo had originally tried to include undocumented immigrants in the legislation, the program that passed the vote requires eligible students to be U.S. citizens, a permanent resident, or have refugee status. As such, the vote has disappointed some, including undocumented immigrants, part-time students, and experts concerned about how public and private universities will accommodate a new dynamic in admissions and financial aid.
