More details on the proposed congressional bill to make two years of college free were revealed on Wednesday morning. Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., and Secretary of the Department of Education Arne Duncan held a press call to discuss logistics.
Scott and Duncan said that they expect the proposed bill, America’s College Promise Act, will impact at least 9 million students attending community colleges and minority-serving institutions. Duncan said that he anticipated that 9 million might be a low estimate.
“I’m actually hopeful and optimistic that many more students across the nation, as this becomes a reality, will start to think how college isn’t just for rich folks; it’s for people like me. Conceivably that number could go significantly higher,” Duncan said. The education secretary added that the success of state initiatives such as the Kalamazoo Promise and Tennessee Promise show that, once implemented, there is great public interest and support for “free” college.
Under the proposed bill, eligible students could expect to save $3,800 on average each year. The federal government would foot 75 percent of costs, and states the remaining 25 percent.
The plan would include certain stipulations for public institutions, including reforms aimed at improving academic quality and student outcomes that they would be expected to undertake. Baldwin said that the bill would require that credits from two-year institutions be fully transferable to four-year institutions. She said that this would require “greater coordination” between two-year and four-year institutions.
However, by strengthening the link between two-year and four-year institutions, Duncan said that four-year colleges would also be beneficiaries of the bill. “A rising tide lifts all boats,” he said, “If you have many more people going to enroll in community colleges and graduate with better pathways into four years, then everyone is going to do well there.”
President Barack Obama first proposed the idea of making community college free for certain high school graduates in January. Since then, several plans aimed at lessening the burden of college costs have been proposed.
