NY set to make state college tuition free for middle class

ALBANY, N.Y. -- New York would be the first state to make tuition at public colleges and universities free for middle-class students under a state budget set for passage in Albany.

The plan crafted by Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo would apply to any New York student whose family has an annual income of $125,000 or less. To qualify the student would have to meet certain class load and grade point average restrictions, and room and board would not be covered.

The initiative is included in a $153 billion state budget proposal that passed the state Assembly on Saturday. The state Senate was poised to approve the spending plan late Sunday night.

The tuition plan would be phased in over three years, with families making $100,000 or less annually eligible in the fall of 2017, with the threshold rising to $125,000 in 2019. About 940,000 families in the state would meet the income criteria when the program is fully implemented. The initiative also includes $19 million for a new tuition award program for students at private colleges.

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