Excelsior Illusion: Getting Real about 'Free' College in NY. Issue Brief

Empire Center for Public Policy. 150 Broadway Suite 404, Menands, NY 12204. Tel: 518-434-3100; Fax: 518-434-3130; e-mail: [email protected]; Web site: https://www.empirecenter.org

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Undergraduate Study; Access to Education; Tuition; Scholarships; Two Year Colleges; State Colleges; Eligibility; Educational Policy; Student Financial Aid; Student Needs; State Programs; Program Effectiveness; Public Colleges; Private Colleges; Grants; Student Loan Programs; Debt (Financial)

In April 2017, the New York State Legislature approved Governor Andrew Cuomo's proposal to establish the Excelsior Scholarship program, which the governor described as the nation's first offer of "tuition-free" two- and four-year college to the middle-class. Excelsior Scholarships promised to eliminate tuition charged by the State University of New York (SUNY) and City University of New York (CUNY) for undergraduate students from state resident households with gross annual incomes up to $125,000--which was 184 percent of the statewide household median as of 2018. It was predicted that 940,000 New York families with college-age children would qualify--but the program's terms and conditions ensured it would yield a much smaller number of actual scholarship recipients. As of 2018-19, the program's second year, Excelsior Scholarships had been awarded to 24,000 students, or 3.8 percent of total SUNY and CUNY undergraduate enrollment. With full implementation this year, participation is expected to rise to 30,000 for 2019-20. This report explains why policy makers seeking to boost college affordability in New York should abandon the "tuition free" Excelsior Scholarship program in favor of expanding the state's existing Tuition Assistance Program (TAP)--which is based on demonstrated financial need.

ERIC

2020

ED607569