ALBANY, NY — In getting the new state budget passed, Gov. Andrew Cuomo achieved one of his most important goals of the process, granting tuition-free college education to state residents at two- and four-year SUNY and CUNY colleges.

It was considered a significant step for Democrats, so much so that presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton offered congratulations in the form of press statements. Clinton said, “New York State has long been a pioneer in education. Taking this next step to make college tuition-free for hardworking families is the right thing to do, and the smart thing to do.” Sanders said, “Every American, regardless of income, must have the right to a higher education. In a competitive global economy, with rapid changes in technology, we must make public colleges and universities tuition-free.”

Clinton and Sanders both campaigned on free tuition in the election in 2016, while President Donald Trump’s proposed budget would slash federal programs that help low-income students pay for higher education.

The free tuition in New York State will first be offered to any student that comes from a family that earns less than $100,000 a year, with that figure ultimately rising to $125,000. The state has budgeted more money for state colleges to cover the cost of the program, so the bottom line of community colleges will not be negatively impacted.

Many students who attend SUNY Sullivan will be able to take advantage of the program. SUNY Sullivan interim president Jay Quaintance said, “We are very excited that the enacted budget supports higher education through the Excelsior Scholarship program.  New York continues to lead the nation in valuing a college education.” 

But critics say there are a couple of conditions that make it less of an historic development than it might otherwise seem.

First, it requires that in order to be eligible, students must attend college full time, and there are a lot of students, especially adults, who attend part time.

Second, for every year a student receives free tuition, the student must work at a job in New York State, so if a student goes to college tuition free for four years, that student must work in the Empire State for four years. If the student chooses to work out of state, the free tuition morphs into a loan, which must then be repaid.

According to figures from SUNY and CUNY a majority of students in both systems are residents of New York, and 80% of graduates remain in the state after graduating.

Still, Cuomo considers this a major win, and a press release emphasizes his commitment to education, saying, “The budget provides a record $7.5 billion in total support for higher education, a $448 million, or 6.3%, increase over last year. These initiatives build on the governor’s commitment to making college affordable for all students in the Empire State, including the nation-leading ‘Get On Your Feet’ Loan Forgiveness Program, which allows eligible college graduates living in New York to pay nothing on their student loans for the first two years out of school.”

Some other states, such as Tennessee, already offer tuition-free, two-year community college.  In the wake of Cuomo’s initiative, a move to introduce tuition-free college in California called “Degrees not Debt” has been introduced in the state assembly.