JORDAN PATTERSON
News Editor
As many students might’ve heard, legislation introducing Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Excelsior Scholarship was passed earlier this month. So this means free college for SUNY students, right? Not exactly.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton tweeted, “Let’s celebrate New York State getting something important done that we wanted to do nationally. A great step for progressives.”
The Leader initially reported on the Excelsior Scholarship back in January when Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and Cuomo officially announced this progressive idea. The idea of “free college” might be something the middle and lower class has been waiting for. But like many other so-called amazing offers, there’s a catch.
The Excelsior Scholarship is a grant that closes the gap on an individual student’s tuition. That means any Federal Pell or TAP grants must be applied to one’s tuition first, and then the money from the Excelsior Scholarship can be used. Families that are eligible cannot make a dollar more than $100,000 per year for the first year of the newly passed grant. In the second year, the cut-off will increase to $110,000 and the third year will go up to $125,000.
The state has announced that in the first year the entire project will cost $163 million. There is no age limit on who can apply. The budget that passed does allow SUNY and CUNY schools to raise tuition $200 each year for the first three years of the program. For students who are already paying tuition, their tuition remains locked at that current price tag, according to President Virginia Horvath.
“[It] would be very beneficial moving forward, in regards to ideal candidates or families whose situational circumstances and future endeavors, align with the specifications of the bill,” senior business management major Victor Hugo said.
Hugo joked it’s like waiting in line for food and being told that they’re giving out free food, then getting almost to the front and finding out you still have to pay for it.
“My circumstances wouldn’t have matched the requirements of the bill, so I wouldn’t have received or applied for it,” Hugo added.
Horvath had mixed feelings about the announcement.
“I was excited to see the state taking an interest in college affordability and thinking of what they can do for the students who fall between the cracks,” Horvath said. “I thought that the Excelsior program was attempting to fill that need and make college more affordable for students, but there are a lot things about it that are still a concern because it’s being advertised as free college. Well, it’s tuition and it’s a grant to cover the part of tuition that isn’t already covered by TAP awards, by Pell grants [and] by scholarships from campus.”
One of the concerns Horvath is referring to is the way the scholarship can eventually turn into a loan. There are some restrictive guidelines students must follow if they accept this grant.
Students must take 30 credit hours per year, which includes additional semesters like summer classes, so that students graduate “on time” in four years.
For Horvath, she can’t help but worry for the student who falls behind or wants to drop a course during the semester.
“I like the idea of an incentive but then it turns into a loan. It’s called a ‘groan program,’ it’s a grant that becomes a loan if certain conditions aren’t met,” Horvath said.
Horvath refers to another stipulation in the bill: graduates who receive money from the scholarship must then work in New York state for amount of years they received funding. If not, the “scholarship” turns into a loan that the student must now pay back.
“Personally, it’s not as good as everyone thinks it is,” junior criminal justice major Nicki Fitzgerald said. “Not all students are eligible. People like us either only get it for a semester or two or don’t get it all.”
She also commented on the stipulation of having to remain in New York after one graduates.
“You have to stay in New York for the number of years you used for the scholarship, which means that you can’t move away to try to find a better job out of state where most of the jobs are,” she added.
Another concern being brought up is other expenses. The Excelsior Scholarship is exclusively for tuition. This means that meal plans, room and board and book expenses still fall to the student’s bank account.
“It was a good thought, but in my opinion, not a great solution,” Fitzgerald said.
Recent graduate and former music education major Kristen Becker weighed in on the ill-timed “free tuition” scholarship.
“I think that it is a really good opportunity for students but I don’t like that it limits me to staying in New York,” Becker said. “As a recent graduate, I don’t know where my career is going to take me and having to stay in New York is a downfall for me.”
The ideal candidates for this scholarship appear to be students commuting from home who wouldn’t mind to work in New York after graduation. For a commuter, room and board wouldn’t be a concern and the scholarship would benefit them more than someone seeking to live in the campus dorms. For Horvath, that’s who she is excited about seeing enrolling in Fredonia.
“I hope that increases enrollment among commuters,” Horvath said. “Because for commuter students this could be a really good deal.”
Associate Vice President for Enrollment Services Daniel Tramuta foresees the awards for the Excelsior Scholarship to start being drafted in May.
“The concept of New York coming up with a scholarship that applies to tuition is a tremendous concept,” Tramuta said, “but once you strip it down and you have a chance to look at the criteria it becomes more murky.”
Tramuta went on to explain that they identified 2,500 students that qualified for this scholarship but when Tramuta took in all of the grants that students receive, it brought that number down to 1,300. According to Tramuta, because it’s a last dollar scholarship, potential and current students will not receive any money from the Excelsior Scholarship if they are already receiving enough for the $6,470 tuition that Fredonia has.
For Tramuta, he is excited anytime the state addresses college affordability but they “fumbled” by not addressing all of the costs. Tramuta is also grateful for the $4.5-5 million in grant money that this will generate for Fredonia.
“I think it’s a great start.” Tramuta said. “I hope the Governor and the legislature and the assembly will polish it. That’s really the biggest thing.”