11 Apr 2017 09:37 PM EST

Sotiris Charalampous spent the past two years juggling school and work in an effort to save enough money to pay for his college tuition. However, a new initiative by the state could mean the rest of the sophomore's education costs him nothing at all, as long as he meets certain requirements. "I was on the train reading the article and it was just a 'phew' moment for me," Charalampous, who studies biology at the City College of New York (CCNY), said on Tuesday, referring to the launch of the new program.