Hundreds of thousands of New York students would be able to attend college for free under a proposal announced by Gov. Andrew Cuomo to make state universities tuition-free for residents earning $125,000 or less.
The Democrat unveiled his plan last week at LaGuardia Community College in Queens alongside U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Sanders, who pushed for free tuition at all U.S. public colleges during his Democratic presidential campaign, called Cuomo’s proposal “revolutionary.”
Tennessee and Oregon have enacted programs to cover residents’ tuition costs at community colleges.
Under Cuomo’s more expansive plan, an estimated 940,000 New York households with college-aged children would be eligible.
Where exactly a new $163 million fits into the state budget is not clear. The state faces a revenue shortfall for the current fiscal year, and Cuomo has acknowledged that the coming budget will continue to be tight.
