Make college more affordable by making more Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) grants available

As reported by the Daily News:

By State Senator Jose Peralta and Assembly Member Francisco Moya

As the lead sponsors of the New York DREAM Act — a proposal to provide state-financed college tuition aid to undocumented immigrants — we often hear: “You should help struggling, taxpaying families that are in this country legally pay for college.”

We couldn’t agree more.

College costs have skyrocketed. The graduates of the class of 2014 have the distinction of being the most indebted ever, owing an average of about $33,000 each. Even after adjusting for inflation, that’s nearly twice as much as what student borrowers owed 20 years ago.

What’s more, we are at a critical juncture in our state’s trajectory — we will either choose to invest in our future, or we will choose to ignore it. In a future without financial aid reforms, more New Yorkers will be unable to afford college and will enter a job market that is increasingly inhospitable to those who lack a college education. Without action, these two intersecting forces may collide, driving up unemployment.

One way to make college more affordable for New Yorkers is to make more and larger Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) grants available to more students, immigrant and non-immigrant alike.

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