They are running out of money because the state has cut off the funding that has heavily subsidized the CUNY schools. While I have a "sink or swim" attitude toward private universities, CUNY is/was a prime example of how a state can properly "do" public education. In-state tuition at CUNY is nearly half of in-state tuition at a SUNY school. CUNY Law is well regarded for public interest law which pairs well with their incredibly low law school tuition. Depending upon your financial situation it is entirely possible to earn a B.A. and a J.D. from CUNY schools without breaking $50k. Elsewhere in the same state it is nearly impossible to keep under that number even at a SUNY school. The people who are going to face the brunt of the impact will be lower income individuals (who previously could get through using only Federal Financial Aid without incurring any debt) and students from middle income families who were previously able to graduate with incredibly low amounts of debt. Why Cuomo chose to choke CUNY rather than the countless bloated agencies in our state is a mystery.