Too Good to be True: The Truth About Cuomo's Free Tuition Proposal

We all know how it feels to get excited about something that turns out to be far too good to be true. Unfortunately, students and parents across New York State are about to experience that as the governor’s free SUNY/CUNY tuition plan – well intentioned as it may be – is not as good as it sounds.

College tuition has gotten out of hand. It is at an all-time high and there is no denying we must address it. “Free College Tuition” makes a splashy headline for a man with his eyes set on a presidential run, but as the saying goes, the devil is in the details.

The governor says that this program will be budgeted for, but that money comes right from your wallet in the form of a tax increase. We should be lowering the tax burden for Long Islanders, not looking for exciting new ways to take more of your grocery money or family vacation fund.

Those legislators in favor of this proposal may say taxpayers should look at this as an investment in our future. But if that’s the approach, how do we gauge the return on investment to ensure our tax dollars aren’t being wasted? There is a mass exodus of New York residents leaving the state, especially college graduates looking for jobs. How does that help New York State if we pay tuition just to watch our talented college grads leave for greener pastures? What if a student stops short of graduating after deciding that college isn’t for them? We will have wasted thousands of dollars paying for that decision.

Let’s look at this from another angle. Who does this proposal, which will cost taxpayers millions, really help? Any family making $125,000 or less will be eligible for this. Those families most in need of the financial assistance are already likely having tuition paid in full by a combination of the New York State Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) and federal Pell Grants. So, this proposal doesn’t help them at all.

The most expensive part of attending a SUNY or CUNY institution isn’t the tuition, it is everything else: housing, meal plans, books, transportation, miscellaneous fees, etc. According to the SUNY website, those costs add up to an additional $18,000. The CUNY website, lists those costs at an added $20,000.

The governor’s plan isn’t helping anyone but himself. This is a play for coverage in the press and the start of his buildup to a presidential campaign. Luckily, there is real, meaningful and effective legislation that is already out there which I sponsor:

• A.3051 – Makes graduate programs eligible for approval for TAP funds;
• A.8691 – Creates the Community College Merit and Mobility Scholarship program, which provides New York high school students who graduate in the top 20 percent of their class with a $1,000 annual college scholarship to a New York State community college;
• A.8695 – Establishes the Learning for Work Program, which prepares students for the workplace, cuts down on student loan burdens and offers up to 15 credit hours to a SUNY or CUNY institution for work completed in high school;
• A.2753 – Creates the Affordable College Education Scholarship Program, which allows eligible residents to earn a bachelor’s degree from participating New York State colleges and universities at a total cost of no more than $10,000.

These are real initiatives aimed at cracking down on burdensome student loan debt, and not political ploys like Gov. Cuomo’s proposal that hides the true facts. The governor’s proposal does not address controlling and lowering the cost drivers of college education, which is the real issue. Rather, it seeks to provide free college education for a limited few, while the rest, mostly middle-class students, are left to pay exorbitant college tuitions. Moreover, his proposal endangers the continued viability of private colleges and universities to exist. Until the Legislature and the governor actually begin to address the true cost drivers of college education, we will not make higher education affordable for all New Yorkers.