New York Governor Looks to Reduce State Financial Aid to Low-Income Students Enrolled at For-Profit Colleges

Lame-duck Governor George Pataki of New York has proposed new restrictions on financial aid for low-income students at for-profit colleges in the state. A large number of these low-income students are black or Hispanic. Under the Pataki plan, which will trim hundreds of millions of dollars from the state’s financial aid budget, students would not be eligible for financial assistance from the state until they have demonstrated that they are academically qualified by completing several credits at the schools.

These new requirements will greatly reduce the number of students who enroll at these for-profit colleges, because, without the tuition assistance plans, many of these low-income students would not be able to afford the cost of a college education and would not be able to enroll.

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