Parents, guidance counselors grill state officials on free college tuition

<p>State education officials are making the rounds at colleges across the Hudson Valley to discuss the free tuition plan, but some students and parents are finding it comes with some strings attached.</p>

News 12 Staff

May 9, 2017, 9:40 PM

Updated 2,552 days ago

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Parents, guidance counselors grill state officials on free college tuition
State education officials are making the rounds at colleges across the Hudson Valley to discuss the free tuition plan, but some students and parents are finding it comes with some strings attached.
Purchase College student Dani Smith says she'll be the first line to apply for a tuition-free state scholarship.
“If I got this, it means I could stay all four years,” she says.
Smith was one of the dozens of students, parents and guidance counselors at Purchase College on Tuesday grilling state officials on just how free the free tuition is.
In the first year of the program, the scholarship for CUNY and SUNY schools is available to New Yorkers of any age with a family income of less than $100,000.
Students must take 30 credits a year and graduate within two or four years and agree to live in the state once they graduate. Otherwise, the scholarship will be turned into a loan. If a student falls below the specific grade guidelines, they can also lose the scholarship. The scholarship does not cover room and board.
Applications for the scholarship will be available online the first week of June. State officials are encouraging anyone interested to apply.


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