Cuomo Tuition Plan Stands to Help Students Make the Last Mile
“This could really be a game changer,” said Kristin G. Esterberg, the president of SUNY Potsdam, near the Canadian border, which serves students predominantly from low-income families. “There’s a significant number of potential students — folks who live in the North Country — who just think that college is not for them, and find the thicket of financial aid guidelines daunting.”
New York already offers in-state students at its state and city universities, which are attended by 400,000 full-time students, one of the lowest tuition rates in the nation. At four-year State University of New York schools, the tuition for residents is $6,470; at two-year community colleges, it is $4,350. Full-time costs for City University of New York schools are similar.
For the poorest students, whose families make less than $30,000 a year, federal Pell grants, which top out at $5,775 per year, already pay for a large portion of tuition costs.
The state also provides nearly $1 billion via its tuition assistance program, which sets an adjusted gross income limit just under $100,000. Those awards are capped at $5,165; many grants are smaller.
Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/07/nyregion/cuomo-tuition-plan-stands-to-help-students-make-the-last-mile.html