Record number of SUNY, CUNY students attending tuition-free thanks to new scholarship
Governor Andrew Cuomo on Sunday, October 1 announced that more than half of all full-time SUNY and CUNY in-state students are going to be receiving full rides with help from the Excelsior Scholarship.
This number takes into consideration students granted the Excelsior Scholarship – the first-in-the-nation program providing cost-free tuition at New York’s public colleges and universities – as well as funds from the New York State Tuition Assistance Program (TAP), Pell and other scholarships.
“A college degree now is what a high school diploma was 30 years ago – it is essential to succeed in today’s economy. Our first-in-the-nation Excelsior Scholarship is designed so more New Yorkers go to college tuition-free and receive the education they deserve to reach their full potential,” Cuomo said. “New York leads the nation in creating equal opportunity for all, and we will continue to work to ensure that access to a college degree is not determined by family finances but rather is available to all who work hard and dream big.”