New York Launches Application For Free College Tuition Program

College students attending any State University of New York or City University of New York can now apply for the "Excelsior Scholarship," a program that would make college tuition-free for students from middle- and working-class families, Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office announced Wednesday.

Students from families earning up to $100,000 are permitted to apply for the scholarship until July 21, according to the New York State Higher Education Services Corporation. By the time the program is fully implemented students from families earning up to $125,000 will be eligible for the scholarship.

"With the launch of the first-in-the-nation Excelsior Scholarship program, the dream of a college education and a better life is now within reach for all New Yorkers," Cuomo said in a statement. "A college degree has become a necessity to succeed in the modern economy, and this program is the ticket to greater opportunity and will help build the stronger, smarter workforce New York needs to compete in the global economy."

The program will be phased in over a period of three years, beginning with students whose families make less than $100,000 in fall 2017, the governor's office said. The cap for eligibility will be raised to $110,000 in 2018 and to $125,000 in 2019.

There is, of course, a slight catch: Students will have to work in-state after graduation for the same amount of years they receive the scholarship. If students chose not to work in-state for as long as they received the scholarship it will be converted into a no-interest loan.

Cuomo first announced the Excelsior Scholarship during a January "State of the State" address at LaGuardia Community College in Queens with the help of long-time advocate for free public education Bernie Sanders and former NYC mayoral candidate Bill Thompson. In April, Cuomo signed the program into law in a ceremony aided by former Secretary of State and Democratic Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton.

"If the United States is to succeed in a highly competitive global economy, we need the best educated workforce in the world," Sanders said in January. "With exploding technology, and with most of the good paying jobs requiring more and more education, we need to make certain that every New Yorker, every Vermonter and every American gets all the education they need regardless of family income."

To check out if you're eligible for the scholarship and to apply, click here.

Photo courtesy of Gov. Andrew Cuomo