Approximately 700 Oswego State students applied and were accepted over the summer to receive the Excelsior Scholarship for free tuition during the 2017-2018 academic year.

The New York State Higher Education Services Corporation recently implemented the first program in the U.S. to provide free tuition to in-state public college and university students. Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Guillermo Linares, acting president of HESC, led the program’s fruition.

“New York leads the nation in creating equal opportunity for all, and we will continue to work to ensure that access to a college degree is not determined by family finances but rather is available to all who work hard and dream big,” Cuomo said in a press release on Oct. 1.

Cuomo announced in the press release that more than 53 percent of New York state residents will attend State University of New York colleges and City University of New York colleges tuition-free. Out of the approximately 400,000 full-time in-state SUNY and CUNY students, about 22,000 were eligible for the Excelsior Scholarship. Oswego State’s students account for about 700 of these recipients.

Randy Nguyen is one of the Oswego State students to receive the scholarship. Like many, Nguyen was excited about the free tuition and expected the full amount to be alleviated so he could use the extra financial aid scholarships and grants toward room and board and other fees.

“I was relieved and thought I was good to go and wouldn’t have to stress anymore, but ended up getting $81 each semester,” Nguyen said. “I knew it was too good to be true.”

The Excelsior Scholarship covers the leftover tuition that other scholarships and financial aid programs, such as New York State Tuition Assistance Program and the Pell Grant, do not cover in the bill.

The current SUNY in-state tuition rate is $6,470 per year. According to HESC, an in-state student who qualifies for the scholarship may receive up to $5,500 per year.

“The scholarship is making a positive impact on any student who is receiving the award. The average award for eligible students is $4,000 per year,” Mark Humbert, director of financial aid at Oswego State, said.

“That money is very helpful for middle income students and their families.”

Sophie James, a senior, was among the first of the applicants when the application became available online this summer.

“I come from a single-mother household, and we don’t have a lot of money, so the idea of free tuition was very exciting,” James said.

James met all of the requirements except one: She took 27 credits her first year at Oswego State rather than 30 credits, due to a repeated class. Because of this, James was denied the scholarship. James has taken 30 credits each year she has been a student at Oswego State, except for her first year.

“A significant amount of pressure would have been alleviated from my mother and I because she helps support me, and it would have meant more money towards housing and less money taken out in loans,” James said.

According to HESC, some of the eligibility requirements are, but are not limited to: Be a New York State resident for at least one year before the beginning of the term, have a combined federal adjusted gross income of $100,000 or less, be enrolled full-time at a SUNY or CUNY for an undergraduate degree for at least 12 credits per semester and at least 30 credits per year including summer and winter sessions, and must have earned at least 30 credits each year prior to the 2017-2018 academic year if previously attended college.

It is also a requirement to stay in New York state after graduation for the number of years the scholarship was used. If a recipient moves out of state, the scholarship turns into a zero-interest loan that must be paid back within 10 years.

“One of the reasons for the scholarship is to encourage New York’s talent to stay and work in New York,” Humbert said.

Students such as Nguyen do not think the scholarship is worth being bound to living in the state for the duration of the time they received it.

“It makes sense. The state invests in you. You give back to the state by using your education within it. For $81, nope. I’ll pay back the $81 back and do what I want,” Nguyen said.

Other students, such as James, would have been in agreement with the deal if it meant free tuition.

“I had fully accepted that I would stay in New York for another few years,” James said.

HESC plans to increase the number of eligible New York residents over the next three years. Those with household incomes of $110,000 per year will be eligible for the 2018-2019 academic year, and those with $125,000 per year will be eligible for the 2019-2020 academic year, according to the press release on Oct. 1.

“The dream of an affordable college education is now a reality for tens of thousands of Excelsior Scholarship recipients. I’m proud of the role that HESC has played and will continue to play in helping students fulfill this dream,” Guillermo Linares, acting president of the HESC, said.

Photo provided by MTA New York  City Transit, Marc Hermann via flickr