New York made 4 years of college free. Here’s how it’s going
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Even though college enrollment has slid since the start of the pandemic, many students still want to get a degree, and for some, free tuition programsThey are the only way higher education will become a reality.
2017 was a landmark year for the Excelsior Scholarship, the New York state scholarship that covers four years tuition free of academic performance.
New York initially said more than 940,000 students with family incomes up to $125,000 could qualify. New York’s program is available to students at all City University of New York schools and State University of New York.
Angela Liotta from the New York State Higher Education Services Corporation said that just over 73,000 students received scholarships that allowed them to go to CUNY and SUNY tuition free.
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Separate research reportThe study found that Excelsior recipients are only around 25% of eligible first-year CUNY student, while the least-income students will be most affected.
According to Judith ScottClayton (a Columbia University professor of economics who is also the author of this report), 68% of program dollars flows to students whose incomes are at least $70,000.
The application process — “the hoops and hurdles and the fine print” — may be a barrier, she said.
Scott-Clayton explained that there aren’t enough students at CUNY to receive this award. That was very surprising.
Even more students could not qualify for tuition free of charge, and they aren’t even going to college.
It is clear that the Covid pandemic has had devastating effects on college enrollments across the nation.
According to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, undergraduate student numbers have dropped by 9.4% since 2020 (according to their latest count).
Enrollment nosedive continues
Doug Shapiro (the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center executive director) stated that “College enrollment drops appear to be getting worse”. This week, the most recent college enrollment numbers were announced.
College students are increasingly concerned about the costs of attending college. student debtShapiro stated that many are questioning degree value.
Some are choosing to use the opportunities offered by the U.S. economic growth and rising wages, increased employment opportunities instead.
Community colleges, which serve lower-income students, have suffered the most, with enrollment sinking 7.8% this spring compared to a year ago — a decline of roughly 351,000 students.
The goal of free college programs is to encourage enrollment and offer a path to the middle classes.
Although the Biden administration has stalled its plan to grant tuition-free community colleges for the next two years, there is still momentum for free college in many areas of the country.
The White House is shifting its attention to extending the student loan payment pauseStates are moving ahead with their plans to create legislation that will allow some colleges to be tuition-free.
Recently, New Mexico Governor. Michelle Lujan Grisham (Democrat) signed the New Mexico Opportunity Scholarship Act. This law creates what is now the largest tuition-free scholarship program outside of New York.
Another program called “Promise” offers college students up to two years free tuition in certain state colleges and other programs.
Many scholarships like the Excelsior Scholarship are “last dollar”, meaning that they only pay tuition costs not covered by federal or state aid. (President Joe BidenA spending bill, which included an increase in federal money for Pell grants was recently signed by President Obama. It also reduced the costs for state programs to be free.
However, not all experts believe that free college will solve the problem of college affordability.
Critics claim that students of lower income pay very little tuition at state schools. If anything, it is because they are eligible for a variety of scholarships and grants.
Further, in most cases the money does not cover fees, books, or room and board, which are all costs that lower-income students struggle with, and diverting funds toward free tuition could come at the expense of other operations on campus, including hiring and retaining faculty and administrators.
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