Gov. Kathy Hochul recently released several proposals she says will boost the state economy and invest in the regional workforce, including offering free community college for adults seeking to work in high-demand occupations.

The proposal, announced during her annual “State of the State Address,” would make select SUNY and CUNY degree programs free for adults aged 25 to 55, including nursing, education, technology and engineering. The state would also cover tuition, books and other program fees and offer additional support to help adult students connect to job opportunities.

“SUNY’s community colleges are engines of economic mobility and Governor Hochul’s proposal for a tuition-free community college education will help connect more working-age New Yorkers to college degrees and economic opportunity,” said SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. “SUNY provides an excellent education and a path to job opportunities in fields as varied as advanced manufacturing, health care, cybersecurity and green technology, and we are thrilled with the Governor’s commitment to community colleges.”

Across the United States, SUNY is the largest integrated system of public higher education, with over 95 percent of New York state residents living within 30 miles of a SUNY college or university. Serving approximately 1.4 million students, the SUNY system oversees about 25 percent of all academic research in the state, and there are over three million SUNY alumni around the world.

“We are grateful that Governor Hochul recognizes the essential role community colleges like SUNY Broome play in providing relevant job training in critical industries, like healthcare, education, and manufacturing,” wrote Tony Hawkins, the president of SUNY Broome Community College. “We are hopeful that this proposal passes, knowing it will open doors to college degrees and high-demand careers for many adult learners in the Southern Tier.”

SUNY Broome is just one of 64 SUNY higher-education campuses. As of 2024, the college has been ranked No. 2 among the best community colleges in New York, according to an EDSmart ranking, which considered cost-effectiveness, learner fulfillment, affordability and educational achievement.

Other campus leaders like Carol Ross-Scott, the vice president for student development and chief diversity officer at SUNY Broome, are also optimistic about Hochul’s proposal. As someone who has publicly shared her struggles progressing through higher education, Ross-Scott has built a career helping others get through college.

“Whenever somebody says they’re going to give free college tuition, that’s a good thing, and for everybody involved,” Ross-Scott said. “But I think what makes this so special is because we’re talking about a group of students that’s often forgotten in higher ed.”

Post-secondary enrollment statistics in New York, prepared in 2022 by the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities, show a 26 percent decline in the number of enrolled undergraduate students aged 25 or older at four-year institutions since 2011, in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the 2021 Educational Attainment and American Community Survey, there are more than two million adults aged 25 or older in New York without a degree who have attended college.

“When you take away the variable that has to do with paying for college, because that’s a make or break variable for anybody attending, but particularly for adults — if you can take away that variable, that’s one less thing that adults have to worry about,” Ross-Scott said.

Despite declines in college enrollment over the past several years, Gallup and Lumina Foundation’s State of Higher Education 2024 report suggests that adults’ desires to pursue higher education are at an all-time high. Regardless of great levels of interest, financial barriers are the top reasons why adults choose not to enroll in or continue their higher education.

Ross-Scott said the proposal reinforces the goals of community colleges, meant to “meet the educational needs of anybody who walks through the door.”

“I think we’re primed for it,” Ross-Scott said. “I think I know that we’re very excited about it, because there are a lot of adults who want to pivot and change their path and do something that will really support themselves and their families. And so, this is an opportunity that we absolutely have to take advantage of. And I’m really happy that Governor Hochul has publicly given the community colleges a boost.”

Hochul’s proposal credits a successful free community college program that was introduced in 2023 for adults aged 25 and older in the state of Massachusetts. This proposal also comes after many previous efforts from the governor to reduce barriers for those interested in attending college in New York state.

“I think that for people who want to take that leap of faith — trust it,” Ross-Scott said. “Trust your gut, and know that we’re here to support you.”