The idea of free higher education is not a new one in some parts of the world. But the idea has only recently increased in popularity in the United States as the cost of attending colleges and universities in the country has risen greatly. In the last few years, several states have either launched or proposed programs offering very low to no cost higher education. However, two new studies suggest these programs are failing to serve the people who need them the most: people with little money. Two programs that have recently received the most attention operate in New York and Tennessee. In 2014, Tennessee governor Bill Haslam created the Tennessee Promise program. This program covers tuition costs for anyone in the state who wants to attend one of Tennessee’s two-year community colleges. New York governor Andrew Cuomo announced the creation of a similar program in his state, called the Excelsior Scholarship in 2017.