Julia Balzer

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New York Proposes Plan to Send Students to College for Free

Andrew Cuomo, governor of New York, is trying to help students pay for

college. This plan is designed for students with low family incomes, $125,000

or less, according to CNN. This would allow students to complete a degree at

a public college in two to four years.

It seems nearly impossible to have a successful career without a

college degree, Julia Balzer, a sophomore architecture and communication

major at the University of Maryland said. And it does not seem fair that only

some people should get that opportunity.

According to U.S. News & World Report, 70% of college students

graduate with student loans amounting to an average of over $30,000. At

the University of Maryland, both in-state and out-of-state students are left in

debt after their time is finished in College Park.

Logistically [this plan] should be on the federal level, Natalie Flynn, a

sophomore kinesiology major at the University of Maryland said. It just

doesnt seem fair that this would only be in New York.

This is not the first time free college tuition has been considered. One

supporter of this idea is Senator Bernie Sanders, who had been an advocate

for free college tuition throughout his presidential campaign in 2016.

It might be good to have a trial run in one state, Abbey Masucci, a

sophomore kinesiology major at the University of Maryland said.

 Although Cuomo has not outlined the logistics of this plan, critics are

questioning where the government funding covering the tuitions would be

coming from.

"Governor Cuomo isn't providing 'free' tuition, he's simply telling New

York taxpayers to write a bigger check," Brian Kolb, New York State assembly

republican leader said to CNN.

If this plan is approved and successful, New York could be the model

for free tuition in public institutions for the nation.

It would be really good for my sisters who live in New York and my

mom who does a lot of stuff for kids who cannot afford tuition, Jessica

Piazza, a sophomore neuroscience and physiology major at the University of

Maryland said. The amount of people who cannot afford college tuition in

[New York] you would not expect.