They are actually calling this free, rather than taxpayer funded. It isn’t free. Someone is paying for it.
Inside Higher Ed reports:
Free College for All in New MexicoNew Mexico governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, is asking the state’s Legislature to fund a scholarship program that would cover tuition and fees for all in-state residents at New Mexico’s public higher education institutions.The New Mexico Opportunity Scholarship, announced Wednesday, would make it the second state after New York to cover tuition for residents over four years at all in-state public institutions.”This is an unprecedented opportunity for students to attend college tuition-and fee-free,” said Carmen Lopez-Wilson, deputy secretary of the state’s higher education department.While the state says the program will encourage more students to attend college, some who research higher education question its potential.Who Will It Help?The scholarship would be available for recent high school graduates, GED earners and returning adults, as well as undocumented students. While adults who previously enrolled in college could return and be eligible under the scholarship to attend college part-time, other students are expected to enroll full-time, according to Lopez-Wilson. Students also must maintain a 2.5 GPA.Like many other free college plans, New Mexico’s is a last-dollar program, meaning the scholarship will cover tuition and fees for students after they use up federal and state aid, including the New Mexico Legislative Lottery Scholarship Program. On average in New Mexico, federal grants and the lottery scholarship leave an unpaid tuition gap of about 25 to 40 percent, according to a news release from the governor’s office.
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