Two-thirds of NY's private colleges opt out of tuition aid

ALBANY -- Private colleges haven't jumped aboard New York's plan to cover a portion of tuition costs.

Just 29 out of 95 private colleges who have undergraduate programs have enrolled in the new state program, which lawmakers and Gov. Andrew Cuomo approved in April along with a program to offer free SUNY tuition, state records show. Locally, the only private institution to opt in was Mount Saint Mary College.

The private-college program calls for the school and the state to split up to $6,000 in tuition costs for students who attend a private college.

The program, called the Enhanced Tuition Awards, is an offshoot of the state's Excelsior Scholarship, which provides free SUNY tuition to income-eligible students.

But unlike the SUNY program which applies to all of the state's four-year public colleges, private schools had the option to whether to participate in the Enhanced Tuition Awards -- which covers a portion of a private college's tuition.

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Opt in or not?

Private colleges expressed concern about the timing of the program -- which has still yet to make an application available for private-college students -- as well as the additional cost.

Also, private colleges would have to agree to freeze tuition for as long as a student receives the state award. And students would have to comply with the same stipulations as SUNY students, such as staying in New York for four years after college.

So 66 private colleges opted out of the program for this fall -- which applies to students whose family income is less than $100,000 a year; it grows to a maximum of $110,000 next year, and $125,000 in 2019.

Locally, the opt outs include Bard College, Marist College, The Culinary Institute of America and Vassar College, but Mount Saint Mary College is participating.

"We know that some campuses were just not able to sign up given the timing and how much financial aid they had already provided to students," Mary Beth Labate, president of the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities, which represents New York's private colleges, said in a statement.

Labate, who is Gov. Andrew Cuomo's former budget director, and state officials said the program is in its infancy and needs time to grow.

David Kennett, president of Mount Saint Mary, said it was important for the college to offer the program to be competitive with SUNY's free tuition.

"The Excelsior Scholarship addresses the needs of those who are drawn to the SUNY system, but it leaves out those who want to take advantage of New York state’s network of vibrant private colleges," Kennett said in a statement.

"The Mount decided to participate in the Enhanced Tuition Awards program because we firmly believe in the unique value of the education that we offer, and we are committed to exploring every means to make it even more affordable for those students who would succeed and thrive in our supportive and personal community."

The program was part of the state budget approved April 9, and many colleges had already finalized their financial aid packages for students this fall.

“The state remains committed to ensuring New York is home to the best-educated workforce in the nation, and we will continue to work with the independent colleges participating in the ETA (Enhanced Tuition Awards) to drive down tuition rates, increase institutional aid and make college affordable for all New Yorkers,” Abbey Fashouer, a spokeswoman for Cuomo, said.

SUNY or private?

Cuomo championed the free SUNY tuition, saying New York should make college more affordable amid a national debate over student debt.

The state and SUNY will pick up the $6,670 cost for public college tuition for students who are eligible after other tuition assistance programs are exhausted.

For students not eligible, they are paying $200 a year more -- from $6,470 last year to the $6,670 this fall.

When Cuomo and lawmakers crafted the SUNY tuition legislation, they also agreed to find a way to address rising tuition costs at private schools and avoid an exodus of private-school students going to SUNY -- thus coming up with the Enhanced Tuition Awards.

The same basic eligibility parameters apply, and the state put $19 million to fund a portion of tuition for private-college students.

On average, students who receive financial aid at private schools pay about $12,700 annually in tuition, according to the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities.

Apply soon

Applications to participate in the program will be available in the coming weeks, state officials said, on the state website: https://www.hesc.ny.gov/

Students will have 45 days to apply.

Some colleges said they will review annually whether to participate in the program.

"We intend to review this option annually," St. John Fisher College, a private school in the Rochester area, said in a statement. "It has been central to our mission to provide access to all students, and that remains a priority."