New York Offering Free College Tuition Raffle To Teens Who Get Vaccinated

Continuing to get creative with incentives for people in the state to be vaccinated, New York is now offering free college tuition to 50 lucky students.

New York Daily News reports that Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that children between the ages of 12 and 17 that are immunized before July 7 would be entered into a raffle for 50 full scholarships. The scholarships would provide for tuition and room and board to city or state-run universities.

The “Get a Shot To Make Your Future” raffle is open to any teen in the specified age group who has already received their first shot or gets a shot in the next five weeks. The state will begin choosing 10 winners a week for five weeks.

“Vaccination rates across the state are beginning to slow, and our greatest need is with young New Yorkers who make up a large percent of positive cases and have the lowest vaccination percentage in the state,” Gov. Cuomo said. “To better reach this population and defeat COVID once and for all, we need to get creative in our efforts.”

Free tuition is the latest incentive given by the state in an effort to raise the number of vaccines getting into the arms of New Yorkers. While 55 percent of residents are fully vaccinated, efforts have plateaued. 

The state also offers Metro Cards, Yankees and Mets tickets, lotto tickets, and two-day passes to state parks, including beaches like Jones Beach.