Cuomo’s incredible shrinking ‘free college’ program

Gov. Andrew Cuomo got the Legislature to OK his free-tuition Excelsior Scholarships — but no one yet knows how many New York kids will benefit.

High school seniors are starting to decide what college they’ll attend this fall, but the Excelsior applications aren’t available yet.

And Mary Beth Labate, head of the Commission of the Independent Colleges and Universities, warns that as few as 3 percent of all students hoping to attend SUNY or CUNY will qualify for the help.

To be fair, Labate represents more than 100 private colleges in New York — schools not covered by the free-tuition plan, which worry they may lose out.

On the other hand, the governor’s office isn’t offering a rival set of numbers. (It may be too busy writing the application form.)

But the program has major limits: family income of at most $100,000, plus the requirements that you go full-time, finish in four years (two for community college) and work in New York for years after graduation.

Plus, existing programs already cover tuition for lower-income families, as well as mid-income ones if the student lands a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics scholarship.

Time will tell if Excelsior is the huge step Cuomo promised — or if the gov’s playing Bernie Sanders on the cheap.