New York’s free community college initiative is expanding to tens of thousands more adult learners to help address the impact of artificial intelligence on the workforce, Gov. Hochul said Monday.

Starting in January, CUNY and SUNY students ages 25 to 55 can enroll tuition-free in select “high-demand” associate degree programs, regardless of their background in higher education. Previously, the initiative was only available to adults without a college degree.

The governor framed the expansion as one strategy to help New Yorkers in jobs vulnerable to automation switch careers, without needing to pay for more schooling.

“As AI continues to reshape the global economy, I’m taking action to ensure more New Yorkers have the skills they need to succeed,” Hochul said in a statement. “By expanding access to free community college, we’re making it even easier for adult learners to pivot into fast-growing, high-demand sectors without taking on a single dollar of tuition debt.”

More than 15,000 students have enrolled in free community college in degree programs such as advanced manufacturing and cybersecurity since the governor first launched the initiative in 2025.

Applications open before the spring semester, with the specific enrollment period varying across dozens of SUNY and CUNY campuses.

“This effort by Governor Hochul to build upon the program will help more adult learners return to the classroom and empower them to pursue the careers of their dreams,” SUNY Chancellor John King Jr. said in a statement.

CUNY Chancellor Félix Matos Rodríguez said the expansion will help ensure “cost is never a barrier for students looking to reskill, elevating our city’s workforce and securing New York’s economic future.”

The expansion of free community college marks the latest way New York is bracing for shockwaves from AI on the labor market.

Hochul has already announced an AI-focused commission to propose policies by the end of the year related to career training and placement, and strengthening the social safety net.

At the local level, the City Council is considering legislation that would regulate AI, including by protecting whistleblowers and requiring a kill-switch on AI systems in New York. Representatives of Anthropic, OpenAI, Google and Meta were set to testify before the Council on Monday.