Bringing back to life a popular position in the presidential campaign season, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday proposed a free college tuition plan.
Cuomo was joined by Vermont senator and free college proponent Bernie Sanders for the announcement, proposing the plan for students from families making $125,000 or less per year, Time reports.
Nearly one million families with college-aged children would reportedly qualify for the plan, which is estimated to cost $163 million.
According to the plan, those students could attend state and city colleges, including community colleges, for free.
The proposal was well-received by free tuition proponents including Hillary Clinton, who proposed a similar plan when she ran for president in 2016.
She praised Cuomo’s proposal via Twitter.
Delighted that @NYGovCuomo proposed free college for ppl making <125K in NY. A plan @SenSanders & I worked hard on. https://t.co/V0aXjhxKpm
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) January 3, 2017
Current in-state tuition at SUNY schools is $6,470, according to Time.
The New York Times reports that the state already spends $1 billion per year on a tuition assistance program, which caps awards at $5,165.
