Free college is a lovely, sensible notion — but countries seem capable of embracing it only when enough of their top earners pay 50 percent or more of their income in taxes. In the United States, New York is the sole state to have taken the step of offering to cover tuition at all its public colleges and universities. And even this new benefit, the Excelsior Scholarship, which Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo signed into law last month, helps only a small fraction of the state’s residents — households earning less than $125,000 that are not already covered by financial aid — and their grants convert into loans unless graduates both live and work in the state for as many years as they benefited from the program. It also does not cover living costs.
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