National nonprofit Complete College America released today the following statement from organization president Tom Sugar regarding New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s tuition-free college plan:

“Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Excelsior Scholarship signals a powerful focus on student success and college completion in the State of New York, while strengthening the ongoing efforts to increase college access for middle- and low-income residents. The program’s 30-credit requirement – which has been criticized by some – is a research-proven strategy to raise GPAs, increase retention rates and ultimately boost college completion in the state. Further, this built-for-completion scholarship is a call to action to institutions to make structural changes that put more students on track for on-time graduation, providing a better return on investment for taxpayers and saving New York families millions of dollars in the process.”