Cuomo plans to extend NY free tuition program to "Dreamers"

campusreform.org

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo recently revealed his FY 2019 budget proposal, which would extend the state’s free tuition program to illegal immigrant students.

According to a briefing book, Cuomo’s plan “includes legislation to implement the DREAM Act, opening the doors of higher education to thousands of New Yorkers.”

The briefing explains that illegal immigrants have qualified for in-state tuition at both the State University of New York (SUNY) and the City University of New York (CUNY) since 2002, but claims that each year, “many talented students who graduate from New York high schools remain unable to fulfill their potential simply because they cannot afford the tuition and lack access to tuition assistance to help pay for school.”

Last year, Gov. Cuomo famously spearheaded a program to make tuition free-of-charge at SUNY and CUNY, which is available during the 2018-2019 school year to all resident students with a family income of up to $110,000.

Now, he’s taking it one step further by extending free tuition under his “Excelsior Scholarship Program” to students who reside in the country illegally, according to his FY ‘19 budget briefing.