Gov. Andrew Cuomo, D-N.Y., promised to make public college free for many low-income students at public colleges in New York. But now it appears his Excelsior free college program might still be out of reach for many low-income New York residents.

A new report by the Center for an Urban Future found that, of the 633,543 undergraduates enrolled in public colleges across New York State for the 2017-2018 academic year, just 3.2 percent, or roughly 20,000 students, actually received the Excelsior scholarship during the school year.

While the relatively low numbers of students receiving Excelsior money is surprising given that Cuomo essentially promised free public college to middle-class families, these numbers pale in comparison to the extraordinarily high rejection rate for families seeking financial assistance through the Excelsior program. According to the report, of the 63,599 students who applied, 43,513 were rejected, for a roughly 70 percent rejection rate.

According to the authors of the study, the actual numbers of students receiving Excelsior aid are rather low given the initial promises made by Cuomo regarding free public college.

“That’s pretty modest for a college promise program that basically says every student can attend a public college or university for free,” said Tom Hilliard, who is an employee of the Center for an Urban Future and one of the study’s co-authors.

According to Sara Goldrick-Rab, a professor of higher education at Temple University, Cuomo’s promise for free college came with too many barriers and strings attached, which prevents a significant number of New Yorkers from being able to take advantage of the program and qualify for financial aid.

“The main problems with financial aid were repeated here,” said Goldrick-Rab. “There are too many barriers, misunderstandings, lack of trust and too many catches.”

According to a spokesman for Cuomo, their administration found that roughly 95,000 individuals applied for the Excelsior scholarship last year, with somewhere between 22,000 and 23,000 individuals receiving aid for the program. If these numbers are correct, it would increase the rejection rate for the Excelsior program beyond the Center for an Urban Future’s initial projection of 68 percent to approximately 75 percent, with three out of every four applicants being rejected.

John Patrick (@john_pat_rick) is a graduate of Canisius College and Georgia Southern University. He interned for Red Alert Politics during the summer of 2012 and has continued to contribute regularly.