New York’s Excelsior Scholarship: Does It Help Students with Limited Financial Means Afford College?

TR Number

Date

2018-09-01

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

The Institute for Higher Education Policy

Abstract

Launched in 2017, New York’s Excelsior Scholarship makes the state’s public colleges tuition-free for low- and middle-income state residents who meet several conditions. The program, championed by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, is billed as a middle-class program that aims to make City University of New York (CUNY) and State University of New York (SUNY) colleges more accessible while requiring beneficiaries to stay in the state after graduation. But program details matter. This analysis of Excelsior examines the effects of the program’s design and recommends further enhancements that will redirect program resources to help low-income students pay for college.

Description

Keywords

financial barriers, barriers to entry (postsecondary education), free college, low-income students, education, higher--government policy, New York

Citation