Four million dollars was allocated in the New York state budget for support for a program that offers free tuition, fees, books and supplies at the State University of New York's 30 community colleges for adults between the ages of 25 and 55 who want to pursue degrees in high-demand fields.

On Tuesday, SUNY announced that it would add another $1 million in funding for technology to support eligible students, bringing the fund to $5 million.

“This $5 million fund is really for capacity-building at the community colleges,” SUNY Chancellor John King told Capital Tonight. “For them to invest in equipment, training for faculty members and supports for the students who will enroll.”

The state budget included $28 million for tuition for these students.

King also discussed the Trump administration’s temporary pause on international student visas.

SUNY has 21,000 international students, which is about 6% of the system’s total enrollment. 

“We don’t know quite yet how long this [pause] is for. Is this a pause so that they can make some tweaks to the process, which is what they suggested? Or is this a longer-term effort to block international students?” he said. “If that was the case, it’s something that higher ed institutions across the country would challenge.”