The State Of New York Now Offers Free College Tuition


Who would have ever thought we would see the day that free college tuition was offered in the United States? Yes, you have read that correctly. New York has passed legislation for The Excelsior Scholarship.

This scholarship will cover the cost of tuition for college students in the state of New York. Students coming from families who earn $100,000 or less in income will be eligible for this scholarship. You must also be a resident of the state, you must finish your two-year or four-year program on time, and you must be a full-time student to receive full benefits.

While this is a huge step in the direction for free public education, there are still some concerns about the scholarship. For one, food, housing, books, etc. will not be covered. Also, you can only apply for The Excelsior Scholarship after you have applied for and used other federal aid. For this reason, this particular scholarship is being called a “last-dollar” program. It is to be used as a last option.

Reports are also saying that low income families may not even benefit as much as one would think. So will this new implementation be that effective? Guess we will see once the scholarship is actually put into action for the first time this fall semester.