By
Melissa Korn
New York state budgeted $87 million to fund its new Excelsior
Scholarship this year so that roughly 23,000 students could attend
public colleges tuition-free.
The wrinkle: More than three times as many students applied for the award.
The
state says there won’t be a shortfall in the end. It expects some of
the applicants won’t be eligible for the grant by the time funds are
disbursed to schools at the end of the semester, as their grades may not
be up to snuff, family income is too high or they will drop their
commitment to stay in-state after graduation.
“We
still think our estimates are going to be close to what the accepted
application rate is going to be,” said New York State Budget Director
Robert Mujica,
citing rates of ineligibility for a more established tuition
assistance program.
Still,
Robert Kelchen,
an assistant professor of higher education at Seton Hall
University, said the outsized demand on limited state funds “will leave
some students scrambling.”
While those with significant financial
need still have access to federal and other state grants, many were
banking on the Excelsior award to ease the financial burden of attending
college.
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Source: The Wall Street Journal (via The Empire Report)
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