New York state has made an unprecedented move becoming the only state in the U.S. to offer free college tuition for in-state residents.
During the 2016 election, free college tuition was a huge issue. Free higher education is something that Bernie Sanders as possible in this country. There were many who said this was not feasible in any way.
New York state has found a way. This mimics the educational system in many European countries. Starting this fall, students and families in New York who make under $100,000 per year will be eligible for education at local two or four-year colleges.
Governor Andrew Cuomo, is expected to sign the new bill into law allowing students whose yearly income is less than $100,000 to receive the Excelsior Scholarship. It is estimated that approximately 200,000 students will benefit from this new law.
This new bill will make a college education accessible to all New Yorkers. The scholarship however, will apply only to full-time students and will not cover room and board and other fees, only the tuition. That alone is enough to make school affordable for most.
The one strict requirement, a student who receives the Excelsior Scholarship must stay in the state for an equal number of years that they were in school. If the student leaves the state before the time period is over, the scholarship will convert into a load to be repaid.
“Today, college is what high school was — it should always be an option even if you can’t afford it,” Governor Cuomo said in a statement.
It makes you really wonder, other countries offer free healthcare, free college education and more to make sure it’s citizens are in the best conditions possible. Here in America, home of the free, land of the financial slave, it’s never been that way.
The amount of people age 25 and under in financial aid and credit card debt in this country is appalling. There is a reason so many millennial’s still live at home. The U.S. is set up for you to start your life as an adult in debt and behind.
Kudos to New York for deciding its citizens matter, now if we can only get the rest of the United States to catch up.
