Utica University Launches Tuition-Free Pioneer Passport Program for New Yorkers | Education [Video]

UTICA, N.Y. — Utica University announced the launch of a new program designed to allow some students to attend without paying any tuition.

This new tuition-free option for qualified first-year students is called the Pioneer Passport Program, as announced at a press conference on Thursday morning. 

“The goal of Pioneer Passport is to offer a zero-dollar tuition option for eligible first-year students. Pioneer Passport offsets all out-of-pocket tuition costs and mandatory fees that are not covered by other scholarship and grant programs. In other words, once students receive TAP, Pell Grant, and other benefits, Pioneer Passport pays any remaining tuition balance,” according to a release from UU.

To qualify, first-year applicants must be residents of New York State and have an annual family income of $65,000 or less, based on 2023 tax returns.

Eric Sykes, vice president of Enrollment Management at UU, said, “This is a program to really open …