Bernie Sanders Joins New York Governor Cuomo To Announce Free College Tuition Proposal

Sarah Runge
Updated
Sanders joins Cuomo to announce free tuition proposal in New York
Sanders joins Cuomo to announce free tuition proposal in New York

Earlier this morning, alongside Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a plan for free college tuition for any New Yorker whose family makes less than $125,000 a year. The proposal, known as the Excelsior scholarship, would apply to anyone accepted to any of New York’s two- or four-year city or state universities. According to the New York Times, approximately one million New York families would currently qualify for this program, which Cuomo hopes to put into effect this coming fall.

“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.”

Cuomo publicly unveiled his proposal at an event at LaGuardia Community College in Queens, where he explained the importance of providing equal opportunity to all.

“What high school was 75 years ago is what college is today. College is a mandatory step if you really want to be a success, and this society should say we’re going to pay for college because you need college to be successful. Other countries have already done it. It’s time this country catches up.”