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A month's worth of research based from news articles.

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The Campaign for Free College Tuition - CFCT

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Posted by Maica Pichler on February 18, 2016 at 9:00 AM

Two of our nation's most elite universities - Harvard and Stanford -have garnered recent media attention as they take steps to use their massive endowments to make college tuition free for most students. While these efforts to provide free tuition are praiseworthy, this ought to be the rule for all post-secondary education, from welding school to MIT.

Post-secondary education ought to be completely free for the exact same reason that elementary and secondary education have long been free--because a functioning democracy demands an informed citizenry and because a highly competitive world economy requires that we make the best possible use of our brainpower, our most important natural resource.

I remember the story, in the early stages of the war in Iraq, about a young woman soldier from West Virginia who was injured, then captured by the Iraqis, but who was ultimately rescued by her comrades. To me, the most significant part of that story was the young woman's account of why she joined the Army. She had no desire to be a soldier, she said, but joined the Army in order to get the education benefits necessary for her to go to college so that she could fulfill her real ambition-to become a teacher. To me, that was the most important part of her story - that she had to risk her life and almost lose it in order to get the money to pay for a college education.

Making college tuition free will not break the bank. As Bryce Covert, Economic Policy Editor for Think Progress, recently , "tuition at all public colleges came to $62.6 billion in 2012. The federal government could take the $69 billion it currently spends helping students cover the cost of college through grants, tax breaks, and work-study funds and instead simply cover tuition at public colleges for anyone who wanted to attend." That would give all students an affordable option and it would also put pressure on private colleges to reduce their tuition. We could find a formula for a fair way of also helping students at private colleges to pay tuition. I am confident that we can find a means of paying for college tuition without increasing the federal deficit.

As we begin the process of electing a new president, it is time to think big. It is time to make college tuition free!
Bill Brodhead is a former Democratic Congressman from Michigan and a strong supporter of our Campaign for Free College Tuition. You can find his endorsement statement here.

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Why College Should be Tuition-Free - CFCT Dev - Summer 2017 Updates

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Posted by Maica Pichler on February 18, 2016 at 9:00 AM Two of our nation's most elite universities - Harvard and Stanford -have garnered recent media attention as they take steps to use their massive endowments to make college tuition free for most students.

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Critics of the move toward free community college have argued that the programs would strain public budgets and that aid should rather be narrowly targeted toward needy students.

California's 113 community colleges have become an increasingly attractive option for families looking for alternatives to the state's public universities, where academic competition has grown fierce and tuitions have tripled since 2000.

The University of California's undergraduate tuition and fees are now roughly $13,500 a year for in-state students and $40,000 for out-of-staters, well above the national averages for public universities.

College Promise officials said the programs were bringing in freshmen who might otherwise have seen higher education as impractical.

Some of the California initiatives incorporate mentorship for students that begins as early as preschool and seeks to nurture the idea of a future that includes college.

In Long Beach, elementary school students take tours of college campuses. They are later guaranteed a tuition-free year at Long Beach City College.

Writing in The Times, David L. Kirp, a public policy professor at the University of California, Berkeley, said the program had been a "game changer" in a city in which a third of the children under age 17 live in poverty.

Today, three-quarters of Long Beach's high school graduates enroll in college, 10 percent above the national average.

California Online

* Just about every Californian agrees it costs too much to live here. Google's hometown wants to do something about it. [ The New York Times]

* Facebook is embroiled in accusations that it spread misinformation that influenced how the American electorate voted. [ The New York Times]

* Thousands of protesters linked hands around Lake Merritt in Oakland on Sunday to protest the election of Donald J. Trump. [ East Bay Express]

* A Bay Area high school history teacher was put on paid leave after comparing the president-elect to Hitler. [ The Mercury News]

* "This was an execution": A gunman shot a Stanislaus County sheriff's deputy in the head, killing him, southeast of Modesto. [ The Associated Press]

* An hour north of Sacramento, California is poised to build a massive new reservoir. [ Sacramento Bee]

* This year, a historic deluge created a so-called superbloom of wildflowers in Death Valley. [ New Yorker]

* The Academy Awards may be the jewel of Hollywood's awards season, but the Governors Awards could be the hottest ticket in town. [ The Associated Press]

* Leon Russell, who went from being one of the top studio musicians in Los Angeles to making hits on his own, has died. He was 74. [ The New York Times]

* The Arthur J in Manhattan Beach, with its California-cool vibe, could double as a West Coast set for an episode of "Mad Men." [ The New York Times]

Coming Up This Week

* Trenton Trevon Lovell, accused of the execution-style killing of a Los Angeles County sheriff's sergeant in October, will be arraigned on Monday.

* The Los Angeles Auto Show will open to the public on Friday. Organizers said more than 50 new vehicles - from Alfa Romeo, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar and others - will be unveiled.

* The largest annual gathering of neuroscientists opens in San Diego on Saturday. At Neuroscience 2016, thousands of scientists will swap ideas on the wonders of the brain.

* The 2016 American Music Awards will be broadcast Sunday. Co-hosting will be a supermodel, Gigi Hadid, and a comedian, Jay Pharoah.

And Finally ...

Early Monday, the full moon came the closest it's been to Earth since 1948.

That made it the biggest and brightest full moon in nearly 70 years.

The supermoon, as it is called, was expected to be at its nearest around 3:22 a.m. Pacific time Monday.

But if you missed it, don't worry.

Noah Petro, deputy project scientist for NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mission, recommended people go out for a look either Sunday or Monday night.

"The difference in distance from one night to the next will be very subtle, so if it's cloudy on Sunday, go out on Monday," he said in a statement. "Any time after sunset should be fine."

Despite w idespread excitement over the supermoon, people should know that it may not appear all that much different to the casual observer, according to Nicholas St. Fleur, a science reporter for The Times. The supermoon is only about 7 percent bigger and 15 percent brighter than an average full moon.

But that doesn't mean you shouldn't check it out. The celestial event won't repeat until 2034.
California Today goes live at 6 a.m. Pacific time weekdays. Tell us what you want to see: CAtoday@nytimes.com. The California Today columnist, Mike McPhate, is a third-generation Californian - born outside Sacramento and raised in San Juan Capistrano. He lives in Davis. Follow him on Twitter. California Today is edited by Julie Bloom, who grew up in Los Angeles and attended U.C. Berkeley.

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California Today: Why More Community Colleges Offer Free Tuition

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Critics of the move toward free community college have argued that the programs would strain public budgets and that aid should rather be narrowly targeted toward needy students. California's 113 community colleges have become an increasingly attractive option for families looking for alternatives to the state's public universities, where academic competition has grown fierce and tuitions have tripled since 2000.

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A high school diploma is no longer enough to ensure that Americans have the skills they need to move into the good-paying careers they love. By the end of this decade, 65 percent of all job openings will require an education or skills training beyond what any student receives in high school. In fact, 11 of the 15 fastest-growing occupations will require a postsecondary education.

Yet rising tuition costs are putting college out of reach for far too many students. So if we want to ensure all Americans have the opportunity to reach their full potential and contribute to the success of our country, we need to make sure higher education is more affordable and more accessible for more students. It's that simple.

America's community colleges are uniquely positioned to fulfill this responsibility. Today, 90 percent of our population lives within 25 miles of one of our more than 1,300 community colleges. These institutions are meeting students where they are, serving as gateways to a new career or a four-year university -- for a more prosperous life.

That's why President Obama has proposed America's College Promise -- a common-sense idea to make community college free for all responsible students. He believes, as we do, that no hardworking young person should be denied the promise of an affordable, quality education. Two years of free community college will allow Americans to earn the first half of a bachelor's degree or acquire a professional certificate without being saddled with decades of debt.

America's College Promise is a smart investment. Since the president announced his proposal last year, more than 36 free community college programs have launched in states, cities and community college systems all across our country. All together, these new college promise programs are raising over $150 million in new public and private investments to serve more than 180,000 students at community colleges.

Today, in partnership with Los Angeles Community College District, Los Angeles has become the largest American city to make this investment through the L.A. College Promise. Beginning with the class of 2017, graduates from the Los Angeles Unified School District can attend their first year at any of nine LACCD campuses tuition-free. This is a promise that will make a tremendous difference in the lives of so many Angelenos.

Starting a free community college program may not seem easy, but Los Angeles is joining more than 20 existing promise programs in California. We believe if the largest city in the largest state can make higher education universally accessible for responsible students, communities everywhere can make the same investment.

That's why the U.S. Department of Education released yesterday the America's College Promise Playbook -- a free resource designed by school leaders, policy makers and researchers -- so that communities can design the most effective free community college program. Los Angeles used the playbook to design the L.A. College Promise. It provides the best data and evidence-based research available, with steps that communities can take to get their own promise programs off the ground. It also includes real-life case studies and advice from community colleges, cities and states all across our country on developing promise programs that adapt to their students' needs.

Education is the key that unlocks the door of opportunity. We need more leaders and communities to step up and make education available to every student in our country who is willing to work for it. This is about fairness, but it's also about competitiveness -- continuing to make sure we have the best-trained, best-educated workforce is the best way to compete in the global economy. We must make community college free for responsible students everywhere.

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Free community college benefits students and the nation (essay)

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A high school diploma is no longer enough to ensure that Americans have the skills they need to move into the good-paying careers they love. By the end of this decade, 65 percent of all job openings will require an education or skills training beyond what any student receives in high school.

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San Francisco is partnering with a community college to offer free tuition to city residents starting next fall.

On Monday, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee announced it would start setting aside $5.4 million per year to cover enrollment fees and other expenses for City College of San Francisco students, making it the first city in the nation to offer free tuition to residents.

The college will use $2.1 million of that total each year to cover the cost of credit classes for California residents who have lived in San Francisco for at least a year. At $46 per credit, the funding will cover around 45,000 credits, City College spokesperson Jeffrey Hamilton said. Because course loads vary widely, it's hard to tell how many students will receive free tuition until registration closes in the fall.

The remaining $3.3 million in funding will go toward covering books, transportation, supplies and health fees for low-income students who have Board of Governors (BOG) tuition waivers.

Overall, the program could provide some form of assistance to 28,000 to 30,000 students, Hamilton told the NewsHour, though it's not clear how many will enroll.

"This commitment will provide our residents the opportunity to attend college, continue to learn and create better lives for themselves," Lee said. "This is an investment in our youth, in our city and in our future."

#SF is proud to be the first City in the nation to offer free community college tuition to our local residents pic.twitter.com/qqNhODXRw9

- Mayor Ed Lee (@mayoredlee) February 6, 2017

Mayor Lee's announcement comes as the idea of free college has gained popularity, both on the national stage, as a cornerstone of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders' 2016 campaign for president, and also within state legislatures.

Several other states already have tuition-free programs in place, some of which came after President Barack Obama's push for free community college in 2015. Kentucky, Oregon, Tennessee and Minnesota already have last-dollar scholarship programs that cover any remaining tuition fees after state and federal grant aid, with varying eligibility requirements. The plan announced by Mayor Lee on Monday, however, is different: It allows all residents to enroll, regardless of age, with no income eligibility requirements.

Last month, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo proposed making all New York state, city and community colleges tuition-free for New York residents of households that earn less than $125,000 a year. And in Rhode Island, Gov. Gina Raimondo put forward a similar proposal: two years of free tuition at state colleges, with the benefit coming in the first two years for community college students and the last two for those at four-year institutions. Like Mayor Lee, Raimondo put no income requirements on her plan.

The New York and Rhode Island plans both need legislative approval.

Supporting Cuomo at his press conference about the plan last month, Sanders hailed the New York plan as a model for the nation.

"It's an idea that's going to reverberate not only throughout the State of New York, but throughout this country," he said.

City College of San Francisco, like many supporters of free tuition programs, is also hoping the new initiative will boost enrollment. The college's enrollment has dropped from 90,000 to 65,000 since 2012, according to The San Francisco Chronicle.

Critics of free tuition programs worry the programs will give unnecessary handouts to wealthy families, or duplicate programs that already offer financial assistance to low-income students. Some private institutions have also worried how free state and community college tuitions will affect their own enrollment.

Those fights are likely to play out in New York, Rhode Island and several other states where the issue is on the agenda for 2017. Lawmakers in Minnesota have proposed a bill that would expand on programs already in place by providing free two- and four-year college tuition for families making less than $125,000, similar to the New York legislation. Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslem has also proposed expanding the existing tuition-free program to include adults as well as recent high school graduates.

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San Francisco becomes first city to offer free community college tuition to all residents

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San Francisco is partnering with a community college to offer free tuition to city residents starting next fall. On Monday, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee announced it would start setting aside $5.4 million per year to cover enrollment fees and other expenses for City College of San Francisco students, making it the first city in the nation to offer free tuition to residents.

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For most families, affordability is one of, if not the biggest deciding factors for higher education - two-thirds of today's college students use some form of financial aid.

Given the pressures of paying for school, students and parents will be happy to learn there are a handful of schools offering complete financial aid packages in exchange for student work. Tuition may be totally or partially covered by these programs, depending on the school. Most require at least 15 hours of work each week in addition to a full load of classes, and student workers generally serve essential functions in the operation of the school.

Working your way through school is not for every student. Options are limited and often only available to specific student populations. Taking a heavy class load and working part-time can be challenging, particularly to college students who are unused to managing their own time. Even older students may struggle with this requirement when faced with more advanced class work and out-of-class demands like internships and practicums.

Our list details eight institutions that offer four-year degrees at reduced or free tuition in exchange for work. Military schools have been omitted, and graduation rates reflect those who completed their degree within four years of their start date. Acceptance, enrollment and graduation data were reported by the National Center for Education Statistics' College Navigator.

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8 Notable Tuition-Free Colleges | BestColleges.com

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For most families, affordability is one of, if not the biggest deciding factors for higher education - two-thirds of today's college students use some form of financial aid. Given the pressures of paying for school, students and parents will be happy to learn there are a handful of schools offering complete financial aid packages in exchange for student work.

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Looking for a free college or at least free tuition? A free college education isn't the norm in the United States; however, many colleges, including some prestigious ones, provide free tuition and other financial assistance.

College Student Debt

In 2011, due to the high cost of attending college, the total amount of American student loan debt was more than $1 trillion.

About 25% of borrowers are behind on their loans. University of Wisconsin demographer Jason Houle finds students from middle-class families pile up more student loan debt on average than other students.

According to a Harvard University study, due to the high cost of a college education and other factors, American college students are leaving college without a degree at higher rates than in other developed countries.

In addition, the National Center for Education Statistics finds that the average total cost of attending college in 2010-11 for first-time, full-time students living on-campus and paying in-state tuition at public, four-year schools, was $20,100. The average cost at private, nonprofit, four-year schools was $39,800. The total cost includes tuition, required fees, books and supplies, and the average for room and board and other expenses. At the campus level, the average student debt numbers collected for the report vary widely, ranging from $3,000 to $55,250.

Moreover, according to the Project on Student Debt, provided by the Institute for College Access & Success, students who borrowed money to obtain a bachelor's degree in 2011 graduated with an average student loan debt of $26,600. The report also shows that about two-thirds of students in the class of 2011 had loans. Approximately one-fifth of all student loans are private, with the rest supplied by the U.S. government, in one form or another.

Thus, many college students begin their careers with significant debt. Many of them can't afford to take an unpaid internship, which could help put their career on an upward trajectory.

The College Board reports the following average 2012-13 tuition and fees:

Public, four-year, in-state students: $8,654

Public, four-year, out-of-state students: $21,706

Private, nonprofit, four-year: $29,056

For-profit schools: $15,172

Public schools are often recognized as less expensive than private colleges; however, many students at private schools don't pay the full cost of their education. For example, at Yale, in 2011, the average financial aid for the 57% of students who qualified was $38,900.

Check out the Ivy League Schools

The Ivy League schools are some of the most expensive schools in the nation. On the other hand, most Ivy League schools provide free tuition and other financial assistance for students from families with an income below a specific threshold, such as $60,000. All of the Ivy League schools have a "no-loans" policy; they provides grants instead of loans.

Top colleges have become more generous with grants. A major reason for this is that they don't want to pass up on exceptional students who may go on to have notable careers.

College Selection Guidelines

We selected the best colleges providing free tuition, based on financial aid packages, quality of degree programs, types of courses offered, faculty prestige, rankings, awards, and overall school reputation.

We provide two lists: Colleges offering free tuition to most students, and colleges offering free college tuition to students from families with an income below a specific income ceiling.

Best Colleges Providing Free Tuition

Deep Springs College, located on a cattle-ranch and alfalfa farm in Inyo County, California, educates students of exceptional ability. Many of the students have turned down offers from some of the most highly esteemed colleges in the United States.

The college provides a unique alternative to the first two years of a traditional four-year education program. Most of the students complete their degree at the most prestigious four-year institutions in the world. Over two-thirds of graduates of Deep Springs College have a graduate degree.

Deep Springs College, established on the pillars of academics, labor, and self-governance, prepares students for lives of service to humanity. Students have the dominate decision-making authority regarding admissions, curriculum, and hiring of faculty members.

During the admissions process, the college emphasizes academic ability, leadership potential, and a desire to assume active and practical responsibility for the ongoing life of the Deep Springs community.

Admissions rate selectivity varies from 6% to 15%, year-to-year. Accepted students' SAT scores generally average 700 for math and in the upper 700 range for verbal.

However, Deep Springs College regards essays and the interview as more important factors in the admission process. Females can apply to enroll in the class of 2013.

Each of its 26 students receives a full-scholarship valued at over $50,000 per year. Students work, at a minimum, 20 hours per week on the ranch or farm, or in positions related to the college or community.

2Cooper Union

The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, commonly referred to as Cooper Union, is located in New York City. It consists of the School of Art, the Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture, and the Albert Nerken School of Engineering.

The schools are connected by the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. Each school provides undergraduate degrees and specialized programs. Cooper Union has highly regarded engineering, art, and architecture programs.

Cooper Union hosts a number of research institutes, such as the C.V. Starr Research Foundation and the Institute for Sustainable Design. The college provides degree programs in the fields of fine arts, architecture, and several engineering areas, and also offers a wide range of continuing education and professional certification programs.

Cooper Union was ranked #1 in the 2013 edition of the Best Colleges in Regional Colleges (North) by U.S. News & World Report. It has also been named #1 Desirable Small School and the 7th most desirable school by Newsweek magazine. Based on a 2012 peer assessment survey, the school was ranked #6 best undergraduate engineering program whose highest engineering degree is a bachelor's or a master's degree.

Copper Union has a 9-to-1 student/faculty ratio and a 94.2% freshman retention rate. The institution has 988 students, of which 927 are undergraduates. It accepts about 7% of applicants.

SAT test scores (25th/75th percentile) are as follows: Critical reading: 610/720; math: 650/780; writing: 620/730.

Every registered undergraduate and graduate student receives a free tuition scholarship. Undergraduate and graduate tuition is a little over $19,000 per semester. Every student enrolled in a degree program pays a $775 fee every semester. Students living in student residence pay the regular housing fee of $9,700 for a double, and $10,800 for a single, per academic year.

3Curtis Institute of Music

Curtis Institute of Music, one of the leading conservatories in the world, provides training and education to exceptionally gifted young musicians for careers as performing artists at the highest professional level. The institute provides complete musical training, as well as liberal arts courses.

Curtis Institute provides a performance Diploma, a Bachelor of Music degree, a Master of Music in Opera degree, and a Professional Studies Certificate in Opera.

The institute has 165 students. Students of elementary-school and high-school age receive training from the same instructors at the same intensive levels as do older students. Curtis does not have teaching assistants.

The school's trained instrumentalists hold 16% of the principal chairs of the top 25 U.S. orchestras. More than 60 graduates have performed at the Metropolitan Opera. Two music directors of the New York Philharmonic have come from Curtis Institute.

Graduates of Curtis Institute of Music are regularly among the winners of the most prestigious awards and honors in classical music, including competitions, prizes, and career grants. Graduates have received Pulitzer Prizes, Tony and Grammy Awards, and Guggenheim Fellowships.

Curtis Institute has a 4% acceptance rate. It selects students based on artistic promise. Every applicant must audition in person. The institute does not have minimum or maximum age requirements.

Every students receives a full-tuition scholarship. For the 2011-2012 school year, the undergraduate tuition is valued at $36,500 and $49,500 for graduate student tuition. Financial assistance for living expenses is based entirely on need. Room and board costs $13,670 per year.

4College of the Ozarks

College of the Ozarks, a private, Christian liberal arts college affiliated with the Presbyterian Church, is located in Point Lookout, Missouri.

The college has more than 30 majors in a variety of areas, and also provides pre-professional programs and certificates and pre-professional credentials.

College of the Ozarks has about 1,500 students and a 16-to-1 student/faculty ratio. Alcohol and drugs are prohibited on and off campus.

College of the Ozarks is ranked #9 in the 2013 edition of the Best Colleges in Regional Colleges (Midwest), and #21 in the Midwest, by Forbes.

Nine percent of applicants are admitted. SAT test scores (25th/75th percentile) are as follows: Critical reading: 580/630; math: 530/560; and writing: 540/570.

Full-time students receive a free college tuition. Ninety percent of applicants are required to show financial need to be accepted. Students are required to work 15 hours a week at an on-campus work station, as well as two, 40-hour work weeks during breaks. The school provides a summer work program to cover the $5,600 cost of room and board.

5Berea College

Berea College, a private, liberal arts college located in Berea, Kentucky, provides degrees in 28 fields.

The college has about 1,600 undergraduate students from all 50 states and about 60 countries; however, the majority of the students are from Appalachia.

Berea College has an 11-to-1 student/faculty ratio. All students are required to live on campus, unless they are 23 years of age or older, married, or a parent.

Berea College is ranked #75 in the 2013 edition of Best Colleges in National Liberal Arts Colleges by U.S. news & World Report.

The college has an 11% acceptance rate, and a 79.5% average freshman retention rate. SAT test scores (25th/75th percentile) are as follows: Critical reading: 495/640; math: 483/588; and writing: 513/610.

The college, which serves students with limited economic resources, does not charge tuition. Room and board is $5,792 per year. Every student is required to work at least 10 hours per week in campus-approved jobs in over 130 departments.

6Webb Institute

Web Institute, located in Glen Cove, New York, is known for providing a top-notch engineering education.

Webb Institute provides a single undergraduate degree option in naval architecture and marine engineering. It's the only school in the nation devoted to ship-design engineering. The institute does not have teaching assistants.

The academic program involves several engineering disciplines, including marine engineering, mechanical engineering, ship design and systems engineering; electrical engineering, and civil/structural engineering.

During the Winter Work Term, students work in the maritime industry and receive a salary. The institute has 80 students and a student/faculty ratio of 7-to-1.

Webb Institute has a 37% acceptance rate and an 87.2% average freshman retention rate. Over 75% of freshmen scored over 1310 on the SAT I.

Every student receives a four-year, full-tuition scholarship. Students live on campus, on an estate with a private beach. Student costs are limited to room and board, books, laptop, and software. Room and board is estimated to be $13,200. Students participate in internships to earn money.

7Macaulay Honors College at City University of New York (CUNY)

Macaulay Honors College, located in New York City, reports that it inspires and prepares high-achieving students to solve the challenges facing New York, the United States, and the global community.

The college provides a liberal arts education combining traditional and innovative teaching and learning.

Macaulay Honors College has about 1,400 students. Its students have enrolled in top graduate programs.

Students enroll in one of eight CUNY colleges through the Macaulay Advising Program. Every student creates a coordinated, individualized, academic program, which includes courses selected from more than 210 majors.

The college provides graduate and professional mentoring, global learning, faculty-student research collaboration, and community engagement. Students of Macaulay Honors College have opportunities to take internships and meet and network with New York's dynamic companies.

Most students in the Macaulay Honors program have a combined SAT critical reading and math score of about 1400 and an A average in high school.

The upper-level seminars allow students to incorporate coursework and their primary research in a collaborative setting. Students can also attend a wide range of semester and year-long study-abroad programs at universities throughout the world.

All students are required to complete 10 hours of community service in each of their first three years; however, many students complete more hours of community service.

All students at Macaulay Honors College receive a full, undergraduate, free-tuition scholarship (exclusive of fees). They also receive a $7,500 Opportunities Fund grant for global research, study service, and internships, as well as a laptop computer and a Cultural Passport to New York City arts and cultural events. Many students also receive housing support.

Students are required to meet CUNY residency requirements for in-state tuition in order to receive the full-tuition scholarship.

8Alice Lloyd College

Alice Lloyd College, a liberal arts college located in Pippa Passe, Kentucky, has students from 108 counties in the Appalachia Mountains regions of Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Alice Lloyd College has almost 600 students and a 17-to-1 student/faculty ratio.

The college offers bachelor's degree programs and pre-professional programs to prepare students for advanced studies in medicine, law, and more. Part of the college's mission is providing an atmosphere in which Christian values are maintained.

Alice Lloyd College is ranked #39 in the 2103 edition of Best Colleges ' Regional Colleges (South).

The school typically accepts 18% of applicants. SAT test scores (25th/75th percentile) are as follows: Critical reading: 460/590; math: 420/520; and writing: 440/480.

Alice Lloyd College provides free tuition. All students are required to work at least 160 hours per semester in an on-campus job or in the local community in the Student Work Program. The cost of living in a dormitory is about $1,900 annually.

9Barclay College

Barclay College, a Bible college located in Haviland, Kansas, provides bachelor's degree programs in Pastoral Ministry, Youth Ministry, Christian Elementary Education, Sports and Recreational Leadership, Business Administration, and other fields. Associate's degrees are available in Biblical Studies and General Studies.

The college also offers a Bible Knowledge certificate and a Ministry certificate, as well as a Master of Arts in Transformational Leadership degree program. In addition, Barclay College provides coursework via a distance learning program.

A Quaker school, Barclay College has about 250 students, and welcomes students from all evangelical faith traditions seeking a rigorous academic setting with a solid biblical foundation. The school's mission is to prepare students in a Bible-centered environment for effective Christian life, service, and leadership.

Barclay College has a 49% admission rate. SAT scores (25th-75th percentile) are as follows: Critical reading: 410/460; math: 410/440 and writing: 290/410.

Students receiving full-tuition scholarship are required to live in on-campus housing. The scholarship is worth $11,000 per year. A student's maximum cost is $10,590, which covers the cost of room and board and fees.

Best Colleges Providing Free Tuition Based on Family Income

(Note: Many top schools offering free tuition to families with an income below a specific ceiling could be in this list. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Texas A&M University, in particular, have been included on account of their relatively high acceptance rates.)

1Harvard University

Harvard University, a private, Ivy League research university, is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

The university's history, wealth, and influence makes it one of the world's most prestigious universities. The Harvard University Library is the nation's largest academic library and one of the largest in the world.

Harvard University is ranked #1 in the 2013 edition of the Best Colleges in National Universities by U.S. News & World Report, and #6 by Forbes. Harvard was also ranked #3 in 2012 in the QS World University Rankings.

The university provides a variety of undergraduate and graduate degree programs. The university has about 20,000 students and a 7-to-1 student/faculty ratio.

Harvard has a 6% acceptance rate and a 97% first-year, full-time student retention rate. SAT test scores (25th/75th percentile) are as follows: Critical reading: 690/790; math: 700/800; and writing: 690/790.

Admission to Harvard University is need-blind; however, financial aid at Harvard University is entirely need-based. The University is devoted to meeting the demonstrated need of all students.

Due to the Harvard Financial Aid initiative, parents with an income below $60,000 are not expected to contribute to college costs. Home equity and retirement accounts are not considered resources in determining family contribution. Financial aid packages do not include loans.

Families with higher incomes dealing with unusual financial challenges may also qualify for need-based scholarship assistance; however, those with significant assets at all income levels are asked to contribute proportionally more.

Tuition and fees amounts to $40,867, while room and board is $13,630.

Beginning with the Class of 2016, families with incomes between $65,000 and $150,000 will contribute from 0% to 10% of income, and those with incomes above $150,000 will be asked to pay proportionately more than 10%, based on their individual circumstances.

About 70% of students receive some type of financial aid and more than 60% receive need-based scholarships. Students are asked to contribute to cover the cost of their education through term-time and summer work.

2Yale University

Yale University, a private, Ivy League research university, is located in New Haven, Connecticut.

a member of the Association of American Universities, Yale has the top-ranked law school in the country, as well as highly ranked school of medicine, management, nursing, and art.

Yale University has about 5,300 undergraduate and 6,100 graduate and professional students, with a 5-to-1 student/faculty ratio. Also, the university has over 450 active organizations on campus.

Besides thoroughly studying their major field, students are expected to explore three important areas of knowledge: the social sciences, the humanities and arts, and the natural sciences.

Students live in one of the residential colleges during their time at Yale. The university is well known for its secret societies. The faculty is known for its special devotion to undergraduate teaching. Many of the university's most distinguished professors teach introductory courses and advanced seminars to undergraduate students.

Yale University is ranked #3 in the 2013 edition of the Best Colleges in national universities by U.S. News & World Report. It is ranked #7 in the 2012 QS World University Rankings and #10 in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings.

Yale University has a 7.7% acceptance rate and a 98% first-year student retention rate. SAT test scores (25th/75th percentile) are as follows: Critical reading: 700/800; math: 710/790; and writing: 710/800.

The total cost of attending Yale is about $58,600 per year, which includes tuition, room and board, books, and personal expenses. Families with a total gross income of less than $65,000 are not expected to make a contribution for their child's education. Yale University meets 100% of demonstrated financial need. The expected annual parent contribution is $10,000; however, more than 10% of Yale University undergraduate families are expected to pay nothing for the education.

The estimated family contribution includes a contribution out of the student's assets, if appropriate, along with income from summer earnings, which is standard for most undergraduate students.

3MIT-Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), a private, research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has five schools and one college.

MIT has almost 10,900 students and an 8-to-1 student/faculty ratio. The school has a strong emphasis on scientific, technological, and engineering education and research. MIT also has a strong entrepreneurial culture. MIT is part of the Association of American Universities.

MIT is included among the top 10 in many overall rankings of universities. The school's strongest showings, besides in engineering, are in the fields of business, natural sciences, linguistics, economics, and mathematics.
The university is ranked #6 in the 2013 edition of the Best Colleges in National Universities by U.S. News & World Report, and #1 in 2012 by QS World University Rankings.

MIT has an acceptance rate of 9.7% and an average freshman retention rate of 97.5%. SAT test scores (25th/75th percentile) are as follows: Critical reading: 670/770; math: 740/800; and writing: 680/770.

The institute provides free tuition with scholarships and grants for students from families with earnings of $75,000 or less. Twenty-nine percent of MIT undergraduates come from families with an income of $75,000 or less.

All students receiving aid are expected to pay for a portion of their need via a loan, part-time job, or both. Sixty-two percent of undergraduates work during the term, either on campus or under the Federal Work-Study Program.

In 2011-2012, students from families earning $75,000 or less are expected to contribute $4,400; the rest of the students contribute $6,0000. Tuition and fees amount to $42,050, while room and board is $12,188.

Seventy-four percent of undergraduates receive a need-based or merit-based scholarship, 61% of which receive a need-based MIT scholarship with an average award of $32,917.

Forty-one percent of undergraduates have student debt after graduation; the average debt at graduation is $20,800.

4Columbia University

Columbia University, located in New York City, is a private, Ivy League research university.

The university has three undergraduate schools: Columbia College, the School of General Studies, and The Fu Foundation School of Engineering. Columbia also has a number of graduate and professional schools. The university offers more than 100 majors and concentrations. Columbia University is a founding member of the Association of American Universities.

The student population consists of about 26,000 students, including a little more than 8,100 undergraduates. Over 90% of students live in on-campus housing. The school has 6-to-1 student/faculty ratio.

Columbia University operates seven Columbia Global Centers overseas, in Amman, Bejing, Istanbul, Mumbai, Nairobi, Paris, and Santiago.

Columbia University is ranked #4 in the 2013 edition of the Best Colleges in National Universities by U.S. News & World Report, and #8 by Forbes. Columbia University is tied for first in the first tier of the nation's top research universities list by the Center for Measuring University Performance.

Columbia University accepts about 10% of applicants. SAT test scores (25th/75th percentile) are as follows: Critical reading: 690/780; math: 700/790; and writing 690/780. Columbia University has a 95% first-year, full-time student retention rate.

Parents with calculated incomes of less than $60,000 and with typical assets are not expected to contribute any income or assets to tuition, room and board, or mandatory fees. No student qualifying for Columbia financial aid is expected to take out loans as part of his or her financial package.

Families with calculated incomes between $60,000 and $100,000 have a reduction in their parent contributions. The university has no official income ceiling for financial aid eligibility. It reports that many families with calculated incomes over $100,00 receive financial aid packages.

For students participating in the study abroad program, community service opportunities, internships, and research, Columbia University provides additional funding and exemptions from academic year and summer work expectations.

5Stanford University

Stanford University, a private, research university located in Stanford, California, offers undergraduate and graduate degree program in a variety of subjects.

Stanford has seven schools: earth sciences, humanities and sciences, business, medicine, law, engineering, and education. The schools of engineering, humanities and sciences, and earth sciences provide undergraduate and graduate programs, whereas the schools of medicine, law, and education and the graduate school of business only provide graduate programs. Stanford University is a founding member of the Association of American Universities.

The university has over 15,300 students. It reports that it values close interaction between undergraduate students and faculty members. The university also strongly supports student participation in research. Stanford has an entrepreneurial character. The university emphasizes multidisciplinary approaches to teaching and research. Also, Stanford University provides the Bing Overseas Studies Program.

In 2011, Stanford was ranked #1 in the world in both humanities and social sciences by The Times of Higher Education World Rankings. That same year, the university was also ranked #2 best research university by THES, and #2 in the world by the Academic Ranking of World Universities. In 2012, it was ranked #15 by QS World University Rankings, while it is also ranked #6 in the 2013 edition of the Best Colleges in National Universities by U.S. News & World Report, and #3 by Forbes.

Stanford University has a 7% admission rate and a 98% first-year student retention rate. SAT scores (25th/75th percentile) are as follows: Critical reading: 670/770; math: 690/780; and writing: 680/780.

Tuition and fees amount to $41,787, while room and board is $12,721. Parents with an income below $60,000 and typical assets for this income range are not expected to make any financial contribution to their child's education.

For parents with an income below $100,000 and typical assets for this income range, the expected parent contribution is low enough to make sure all tuition charges are covered with need-based scholarships, state and federal grants, and/or outside scholarship funds. Families with incomes at higher levels, usually up to $200,000, may also qualify for assistance, especially if more than one family member is attending college.

Students receiving a financial aid package are expected to contribute to paying for the cost of their education. Most students will contribute at least $5,000 from prior earnings, especially summer earnings, and $2,800 from part-time employment during the academic year. Students are also expected to contribute 5% per year of their savings and investments, if they have any. Students can reduce or eliminate their expected contribution from student earnings by acquiring outside scholarships.

6Duke University

Duke University, a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, is a global university with student and faculty from numerous countries. The university encourages students to go abroad to study, conduct research, and perform service.

Duke University is ranked #8 in the 2013 edition of the Best Colleges in National Universities by U.S. News & World Report, and #24 by Forbes. The university is also ranked #27 in the nation and #35 in the world by the Academic Ranking of World Universities, as well as #26 in the nation by Washington Monthly, and #20 in 2012 by QS World University Rankings.

Duke University is a member of the Association of American Universities, and is a part of the "research triangle," along with UNC Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University.

Duke has about 6,800 undergraduates, and 6,000 graduate and professional students, distributed among 10 schools and colleges. The university has a 7-to-1 student/faculty ratio.

Graduate programs include the highly ranked Pratt School of Engineering, Fuqua School of Business, School of Medicine, School of Law, School of Nursing, and the Sanford School of Public Policy. Duke University also provides graduate programs through its Divinity School and Nicolas School of the Environment.

Duke accepts about 16% of the applicants and has a 97% first-year student retention rate. SAT test scores (25th/75th percentile) are as follows: Critical reading: 650/750; math: 690/780; and writing: 670/770.

Domestic families with a total institutionally determined income less than $60,000 and typical assets are not expected to make a contribution to their child's education. The estimated total cost of attending Duke University for one year is $59,343, which includes tuition, fees, room and board, books, and personal expenses.

The average financial aid awarded to the class of 2014 for families with various annual income levels is shown below:

$60-79.9K: About $48,000

$80-100K: About $41,000

$100-120K: Approximately $40,000

$120K+: Approximately $19,000

The student portion of the Expected Family Contribution is based on every student's working during the summer to invest in their education. First-year students are expected to earn $2,100, sophomores, $2,400, juniors, $2,500, and seniors, $2,600.

7Brown University

Brown University, a private, Ivy League research university located in Providence, Rhode Island, consists of the College, Alpert Medical School, the Graduate School, and the School of Engineering.

Brown's international programs are organized via the Watson Institute of International Studies. The Graduate School provides a number of notable programs, including in English and history. The university provides an array of undergraduate and graduate degree programs.

Brown is the only major research university in the nation where undergraduates are the architects of their own course of study. It is often considered the most liberal of the Ivy League Schools. Brown has more of an undergraduate focus than other top-ranked universities.

Brown University is often recognized for its global reach, numerous campus groups, active community service programs, and many cultural events.

The university is a member of the Association of American Universities, and has 8,649 students from all 50 states and over 100 countries. The school has a 9-to-1 student/faculty ratio.

Brown University is ranked #15 in the 2013 edition of the Best Colleges in National Universities. In 2012, Brown University was ranked #51 in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, and #42 in the 2012 QS World University rankings.

Brown University has a 9% acceptance rate. SAT test scores (25th/75th percentile) are as follows: Critical reading: 630/740; math: 650/760; and writing: 640/750. The university has a first year 98% retention rate.

Families with total parent earnings of less than $60,000 and assets of less than $100,000 are not required to make a financial contribution to their child's education. Undergraduate students with a total parent income of less than $100,000 do not have a loan component in their award. Tuition is $43,758 per year and the total direct and indirect costs are $58,140.

Brown University meets 100% of a student's full, demonstrated need. Forty-six percent of the class of 2016 received need-based scholarships; the average need-based scholarship is $40,209.

The student contribution from summer earnings is a standard contribution required for all students. An academic year work-study/campus employment expectation is part of the federal financial aid program.

The following information for the 2012-2013 academic year is based on one student attending Brown University:

Family of five, with one junior student with a total income of $87,000 and assets of $161,000, pay $17,400

Family of four, with one sophomore student with a total income of $105,000 and assets of $63,000, pay $20,770

Family of four, with one freshman student with a total income of $53,000 and assets of $127,000, pay $4,790

Family with one freshman student with a total income of $160,000 and assets of $150,000 pay $40,050

8Cornell University

Cornell University, a private, Ivy League research university located in Ithaca, New York, has seven undergraduate and seven graduate divisions at its main Ithaca campus.

The university offers a variety of undergraduate and graduate degree programs. It also administers two satellite medical campuses, one in New York City and one in Education City, Qatar.

Cornell is ranked #15 in the 2013 edition of the Best Colleges in National Universities by U.S. News & World Report. It is ranked among the 20 top universities in the world in a variety of rankings.

The university is a member of the Association of American Universities. Its research spans a wide array of subjects, ranging from the basic and theoretical to applied research.

Cornell University has over 20,900 students and a 9-to-1 student/faculty ratio. The university has students from all 50 states and 122 countries.

Cornell has an 18% acceptance rate and a 97% freshman retention rate. SAT test scores (25th/75th percentile) are as follows: Critical reading: 630/730; and math: 670/770.

Parents with a combined income of less than $60,000 and assets totaling less than $100,000 pay nothing for their child's education. Students contribute money from a summer job and a small amount of money from savings. The total estimated cost of attending Cornell University for one year is $59,751, which includes tuition, student activity fees, housing, dining, books and supplies, personal expenses, and travel expenses.

The university's website uses as an example a student with a total family income of $51,000 and less than $100,000 in assets; in this scenario, the parents pay nothing for their child's education. The student received a total financial aid package of $56,501 per year, consisting of a Cornell Grant and Federal Work Study, including about 10 hours or work per week in a campus job during the academic year. The student is expected to contribute $3,250 for his first year at Cornell University, which includes $750 from his own personal assets of $3,000 dollars and the money-about $2,500-he will earn from a summer job prior to entering Cornell University.

Cornell University doesn't have a standard "income bracket" or ceiling for grant-aid recipients; rather, eligibility is determined on a case-by-case basis. The university doesn't have a minimum or maximum amount of grant awarded. Income, family size, and assets, as well as the number of children in college, are all factors for calculating the amount a family is required to contribute.

9Vanderbilt University

Vanderbilt University, a private, research university located in Nashville, Tennessee, has about 12,000 students from all 50 states and from more than 90 foreign countries.

Vanderbilt has an 8-to-1 student/faculty ratio. Also, due to the university's emphasis on research, it is a member of the Association of American Universities.

The university tends to place well in national rankings. Vanderbilt University is ranked #17 in the 2013 edition of the Best Colleges in National Universities by U.S. News & World Report, and #33 by Forbes.

Vanderbilt has the following undergraduate schools and colleges: College of Arts and Science, Peabody College of Education and Human Development, School of Engineering, and Blair School of Music.

The university has the following graduate and professional schools: Divinity School, Law School, Graduate School, School of Nursing, School of Medicine, and the Owen Graduate School of Management. It also has six graduate and professional schools.

Vanderbilt provides 70 undergraduate majors; students can also create their own majors. The university's study abroad program is provided in over 25 countries.

The university accepts about 16% of applicants. SAT test scores (25th/75th percentile) are as follows: Critical reading: 680/770; math: 700/780; and writing: 670/760. Vanderbilt University has a 95% first-year student retention rate.

Tuition and fees per year cost an estimated $42,824. The estimated total cost of attending Vanderbilt University is $60,596 per academic year, which includes tuition, fees, room and board, and books. In 2012-2013, over 60% of undergraduate students received some type of financial assistance from one or more sources. All students with demonstrated financial need receive grant/gift assistance instead of loans.

Vanderbilt University meets 100% of a family's demonstrated financial need. Financial aid awards do not include loans. The median award for families in the income range of $0 to $40,000 is $59,147, and the awards range from $31,748 to $63,940. The average financial aid package for first-year students entering the university in 2012 who received need-based assistance (including Vanderbilt funds) consisted of 97% gift aid and 3% work.

Need-based awards to first-year students of 2012/2013 based on family income are shown below:

10University of North Carolina

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), a public, research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, provides over 70 bachelor's, over 100 master's, and 74 doctoral degree programs.

All undergraduate students receive a liberal arts education. Undergraduate students have the option to pursue a major within the College of Arts and Sciences or within one of the university's professionals schools from the time they obtain junior status.

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is ranked #30 in the 2013 edition of the Best Colleges in National Universities, and #5 top public school, by U.S. News & World Report. Many of the university's professional schools have received high rankings in publications such as U.S. News & World Report and Forbes magazine.

UNC has more than 28,000 students. By law, at least 82% of each freshman class must be from North Carolina. Nearly half of all undergraduates live on campus.

The University of North Carolina provides 300 study abroad programs in 70 countries. The university has one of the highest percentage of undergraduates studying abroad of any public institution.

University of North Carolina has a 31% acceptance rate. SAT test scores (25th/75th percentile) are as follows: Critical reading: 590/700; math: 610/710; and writing: 590/690. The university has 97% freshman retention rate.

The Carolina Covenant promises that youth from low-income families eligible for the program can graduate with a bachelor's degree with no debt. To be eligible for the Carolina Covenant, students must be enrolled at the school as a full-time undergraduate student, be dependent on a parent whose income is no more than 200% of federal poverty guidelines and not have other resources to pay for college, meet citizen requirements, and meet eligibility standards for federal financial aid programs.

Students from any state are considered for the Carolina Covenant. In-state tuition and fees cost $7,694, and out-of-state tuition and fees cost $28,446. Room and board costs $9,734.

11Texas A&M University

Texas A&M University, a public, research university located in College Station, Texas, is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System.

Texas A&M is involved in a broad range of research with projects funded by agencies, including the National Institutes of Health, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Office of Naval Research, and the National Science Foundation. The university has formal research and exchange agreements with 100 institutions in 40 countries.

The university consistently ranks among the top 10 public universities every year in enrollment of National Merit Scholars. Texas A&M University has been ranked #23 among the top public schools by U.S. News & World Report.

Texas A&M has about 48,000 students and a 21-to-1 student/faculty ratio. The university has 10 academic colleges and offers over 120 undergraduate and 240 graduate degree programs.

The university has highly ranked graduate offerings via its Mays Business School, Dwight Look College of Engineering, and College of Education and Human Development.

Texas A&M is one of six United States Senior Military Colleges. Its Corp of Cadets is one of the largest uniformed student bodies outside the service academies.

Sixty-two percent of applicants are accepted. SAT test scores (25th/75th percentile) are as follows: Critical reading: 530/650; math: 570/670; and writing: 510/620. The university has a 92% freshman retention rate.

The Aggie Assurance helps students with a family income of less than $60,000. All eligible students receive scholarships and grants to cover the cost of tuition. Many of the students eligible for free tuition also receive other scholarships and grants to help cover the cost of required fees, housing, book,s and other educational expenses. The total cost for in-state students is $20,723 per year ($36,113 for out-of-state students).

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The Best Colleges Providing Free Tuition | The Best Schools

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Looking for a free college or at least free tuition? A free college education isn't the norm in the United States; however, many colleges, including some prestigious ones, provide free tuition and other financial assistance. In 2011, due to the high cost of attending college, the total amount of American student loan debt was more than $1 trillion.

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Tuition and fees at a four-year public university averaged $9,410 this past academic year. Now a majority of Americans want to cut that price down to zero.

Sixty-two percent of Americans said that they support making public college tuition free for anyone who wants to attend, according to a survey by Bankrate, which polled 1,000 people in late July. The overall margin of sampling error was plus or minus 4 percentage points.

Tuition-free college was more popular with millennials than baby boomers. Seventy-seven percent of people ages 18 to 29 supported tuition-free college while roughly half of people 50 and older did.

"The older you are, the less likely you were to support it," said Steve Pounds, a Bankrate analyst.

Campaign issue

The rising cost of college has become a campaign issue this year.

Last month, Hillary Clinton unveiled a higher education plan that would eliminate tuition for families with incomes up to $125,000 at in-state public colleges and universities. The Democratic Party presidential nominee borrowed heavily from the plan of her primary rival, Bernie Sanders, who wanted to make public college free for everyone.

Donald Trump said last week he will announce his plan for dealing with rising college costs this month.

Sam Clovis, policy director for Trump's campaign, rejected the idea that debt-free public college would be a part of that proposal. "How do you pay for that? It's absurd on its surface," Clovis told Inside Higher Ed in May.

Subsidies for low-income students

Even among people who oppose tuition-free public college, 1 in 4 said that it would be acceptable to offer that benefit to families who earn $50,000 or less, according to the Bankrate survey.

"There is no such things as 'free,'" said Neal McCluskey, director of the libertarian Cato Institute's Center for Educational Freedom. "What students don't pay in tuition for the education from which they benefit, someone else has to pay."

Low-income students receive more help from taxpayers to pay for college than higher-income students, according to a recent analysis by the Brookings Institution.

Whether tuition-free college becomes a reality, state governments are already spending more on public colleges and universities. State support for higher education is up 4.1 percent this year, according to the Center for the Study of Education Policy at Illinois State University.

"The biggest challenge with state funding for higher education is not just increasing it, but making it consistent," said Ben Miller, senior director of post-secondary education at the liberal Center for American Progress Action Fund. State governments tend to support higher education when the economy is strong and cut back when the economy weakens, he said.

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College should be tuition-free, 60% of Americans say in survey

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Tuition and fees at a four-year public university averaged $9,410 this past academic year. Now a majority of Americans want to cut that price down to zero. Sixty-two percent of Americans said that they support making public college tuition free for anyone who wants to attend, according to a survey by Bankrate, which polled 1,000 people in late July.

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A mere $62.6 billion dollars!

According to new Department of Education data, that's how much tuition public colleges collected from undergraduates in 2012 across the entire United States. And I'm not being facetious with the word mere, either. The New America Foundation says that the federal government spent a whole $69 billion in 2013 on its hodgepodge of financial aid programs, such as Pell Grants for low-income students, tax breaks, work study funding. And that doesn't even include loans.

If we were we scrapping our current system and starting from scratch, Washington could make public college tuition free with the money it sets aside its scattershot attempts to make college affordable today.

Of course, we're not going to start from scratch (and I'm not even sure we should want to make state schools totally free). But I like to make this point every so often because I think it underscores what a confused mess higher education finance is in this country. On the whole, Americans seem to want affordable colleges that are accessible to all. But rather than simply using our resources to maintain a cheap public system (and remember, public schools educate 75 percent of undergrads), we spill them into a fairly wasteful and expensive private sector. At one point, a Senate investigation found that the for-profit sector alone was chowing down on 25 percent of all federal aid dollars.

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Here's Exactly How Much the Government Would Have to Spend to Make Public College Tuition-Free

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A mere $62.6 billion dollars! According to new Department of Education data, that's how much tuition public colleges collected from undergraduates in 2012 across the entire United States. And I'm not being facetious with the word mere, either.

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Free college sounds awesome.

Can it really work in the U.S.? Bernie Sanders certainly thinks so.

"Public colleges and universities tuition-free? Damn right! That is exactly what we should be doing," he said at the Brooklyn Democratic debate.

To which Hillary Clinton replied: "If somebody promises you something for free, read the fine print."

So here it is, the fine print on Sanders' free-tuition plan:

1. It only applies to public schools

That covers about 68% of college students in the U.S., according to the Pew Research Center.

Private schools would likely be excluded. They usually charge more for tuition, but often offer more financial aid. Some private schools like Harvard and Yale are already "debt-free," which means they won't charge you more than what they think your family can pay.

2. It might not cover room and board

Legislation proposed by Sanders last year would cover tuition and required fees.

But at some colleges, it's room and board that hits your wallet the hardest. Students at public colleges paid an average of $14,000 this year, but only about $4,000 of that went to tuition, according to The College Board. The other $10,000 covered room and board.

While that costs isn't automatically wiped away, Sanders doesn't want students to have to borrow money to pay for room and board, books and other living expenses. If it's determined that those cost more than what your family can pay, you'll get federal, state or college grants to cover the cost.

3. It would still help a lot of students

A large percentage of families cannot currently afford the full cost of public college and end up borrowing money. In 2009, 60% of public school graduates had taken out a federal loan to finance their education, according to The College Board.

Sanders would likely keep federal aid programs that offer grants and loans, and would require states to maintain their own need-based financial aid programs. His plan would also reduce the interest rate charged for federal student loans and expand the federal work study program.

Related: How much private, public and community colleges cost this year

4. It wouldn't exactly be free

Sombody's gotta pay for it. Under Sanders' plan, the amount of money a college usually receives for tuition would now be covered by the U.S. and state governments. The feds would kick in 67% ($47 billion a year) and states would be on the hook for the rest ($23 billion a year).

The additional funds from the federal government would come from what Sanders has referred to as a "Robin Hood tax on Wall Street."

This would likely be in addition to what the government already pays for higher education. The feds currently spends about $76 billion -- mostly flowing to colleges through financial aid grants awarded to students and grants for specific research topics -- and the states pay about $73 billion, according to The Pew Charitable Trusts.

Related: Can Bernie Sanders deliver free college for all? Not so easily

5. It'll be a hard sell

First, Congress would have to act on implementing the tax on financial transactions.And then each individual state would have to opt to participate, which might mean chipping in more for higher education than they already do.

That could be a tough sell because cash-strapped states are already having a hard time maintaining their existing level of aid to colleges. In Illinois, for example, years of a decline in state funds and the current state budget impasse are forcing several state colleges to take drastic measures just to stay afloat

6. Free tuition programs already exist

Tennessee and Oregon have already made community college tuition-free using state funds. Tennessee's program started last fall, is funded from lottery revenue and costs an average of $1,165 per student annually. It brought a wave of new students to the state's community college system this year.

Oregon has a similar program that will enroll its first students in August. These are called "last dollar" scholarship programs, so they kick in after students use up any federal grants or other scholarships.

The city of Detroit is using private donations to fund a new free-tuition program for its community colleges. Eventually, some of the money will come from property taxes already earmarked for the program.

Although it's not called a free-tuition program, Louisiana has one of the most generous scholarship offers. It's currently used by nearly 47,000 residents and covers the cost of tuition for students who meets certain academic standards. But funding for the program is in jeopardy as the state faces a massive budget shortfall.

CNNMoney (New York) First published April 26, 2016: 10:15 AM ET

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6 things to know about tuition-free college

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Can it really work in the U.S.? Bernie Sanders certainly thinks so. "Public colleges and universities tuition-free? Damn right! That is exactly what we should be doing," he said at the Brooklyn Democratic debate. To which Hillary Clinton replied: "If somebody promises you something for free, read the fine print."

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Will the Democrats' Free College Tuition Plan Really Work?

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Speakers at the DNC Monday lauded Clinton's free tuition plan. But plenty of economists and higher education experts are skeptical.

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Executive Summary

Free college is unlikely to see the light of day in today's divided political environment, but is frequently in the news as a point of contention between the two leading contenders for the Democratic nomination for president. Bernie Sanders supports eliminating tuition and fees at public colleges, whereas Hillary Clinton favors increases in student aid targeted at low- and middle-income students.

This report provides new evidence on which groups of students are likely to benefit the most from a policy that eliminates tuition and fees at public colleges and universities. Using nationally representative data on in-state students at public institutions, I find that students from higher income families would receive a disproportionate share of the benefits of free college, largely because they tend to attend more expensive institutions.

Under the Sanders free college proposal, families from the top half of the income distribution would receive 24 percent more in dollar value from eliminating tuition than students from the lower half of the income distribution. The non-tuition costs of attending college, including living expenses, are larger than the costs of tuition and fees for most students. Free college, which does not address these expenses, leaves families from the bottom half of the income distribution with nearly $18 billion in annual out-of-pocket college costs that would not be covered by existing federal, state, and institutional grant programs. Devoting new spending to eliminating tuition for all students involves a tradeoff with investing the same funds in targeted grant aid that would cover more of the total costs of attendance for students from less well-off families.

This analysis is meant as a starting point for considering the potential implications of making college free, and does not consider the likely impacts of free college on the enrollment rates of students from different income groups. It also does not consider the distributional implications of the revenue side of the free college proposals, such as Sanders's proposed tax increase targeted at affluent families. But it highlights the need to carefully consider the tradeoffs between targeted and universal programs aimed at the goal of increasing educational attainment.

Bernie Sanders's proposal to eliminate tuition and fees at public colleges and universities has gotten a lot of attention as he continues to challenge Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination for president. Clinton has criticized Sanders's plan as a giveaway to the wealthy, arguing that Donald Trump's kids shouldn't get a free ride, proposing instead to increase student aid targeted at students from low- and middle-income families.

Is Clinton right that the Sanders proposal would provide substantial benefits to wealthy families? I provide new evidence on this question using the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, a nationally representative study of U.S. college students last administered in 2011-12. Specifically, I examine whether eliminating tuition and fees for in-state students at public colleges would benefit students from some income groups more than others. My analysis assumes, as Sanders's plan proposes, that students would keep all existing sources of grant aid (from the institution and the federal and state governments), which they can use to pay for living expenses, books, and other college costs.

I separate dependent students, who are under age 24 and meet other federal requirements to be considered financially dependent on their parents, from independent students, who tend to be older and often have families of their own. I divide dependent students into quartiles based on where in the national income distribution their families' incomes fall.[i]

The table below shows the results of this analysis. The first row shows that dependent students from the bottom quarter of the national income distribution paid an average tuition of $1,673 at community colleges. This group made up 8 percent of in-state students at public colleges, and paid 4 percent of all tuition dollars at these colleges, or $1.8 billion. Eliminating tuition thus saves this group $1.8 billion in costs, but they would still have to pay an additional $4.5 billion for living expenses and other college costs (after accounting for existing grant aid sources).

At community colleges, average tuition does not vary much by family income. But at public four-year colleges, dependent students from higher-income families tend to attend more expensive institutions. Students from families in the top income quartile attend colleges that charge about $1,200, or 20 percent, more than the colleges attended by the typical student from the bottom income quartile. Additionally, higher-income students are more likely to attend four-year institutions, and four-year institutions charge more than three times as much as community colleges in tuition and fees.

The upshot of all these facts is that dependent students from the most affluent 25 percent of families represent 11 percent of students at public colleges, but would receive 18 percent of the benefits if tuition were eliminated. At the other end of the income distribution, bottom-quartile students make up 14 percent of public college students and would receive 16 percent of free tuition benefits. Independent students make up 50 percent of students at public colleges but would receive only 33 percent of free college benefits, in large part because they are less likely to be enrolled full-time (38 percent of independent students were enrolled mostly full-time, as compared to 68 percent of dependent students).

Do these numbers suggest that Clinton or Sanders is right about free college? Clinton is certainly correct that the Sanders free college proposal gives significant benefits to relatively affluent students. My results indicate that families from the top half of the income distribution with dependent students attending public in-state two- and four-year colleges would receive $16.8 billion in dollar value from eliminating tuition, as compared to $13.5 billion for students from the lower half of the income distribution, a difference of 24 percent.

Free college, which does not address the non-tuition costs of attending college, also leaves families from the bottom half of the income distribution with $17.8 billion in annual out-of-pocket college costs that would not be covered by existing federal, state, and institutional grant programs. Devoting new spending to eliminating tuition for all students involves an implicit tradeoff with investing the same funds in targeted grant aid that would cover more of the total costs of attendance for students from lower-income families. For example, the $16.8 billion cost of eliminating tuition costs for the top two income quartiles would be more than enough money to eliminate tuition and cover all other college costs for the bottom income quartile.

The estimated distribution of benefits under the Sanders plan does not appear to be very progressive, but Sanders supporters could make the argument that the benefits that would go to affluent families are a reasonable price to pay for free college for everyone, and may help shore up political support for such a program. They might also emphasize that Sanders has proposed a large tax increase targeted at higher-income families, and argue that affluent families would more than pay for the free college benefits they receive through higher taxes.

It is important to emphasize that this analysis is only a starting point for considering the potential distributional consequences of making college free. The most significant limitation of this analysis is that it does not consider the likely impacts on enrollment of eliminating tuition and fees.[ii] In other words, these projected numbers assume that all students would still enroll at the same institution, and at the same intensity, when tuition and fees are eliminated. In reality, enrollment would likely increase overall, although it is not obvious among which income groups it would increase the most. College enrollment among low-income students might rise relative to other students, but it also might fall if competition for places at public colleges increases as higher-income students shift from the private to the public sector given the change in price.

The debate over free college is more likely to be resolved on political than on empirical grounds, but the ultimate design of proposals to change how students and taxpayers pay for higher education should carefully consider their likely distributional consequences and the tradeoffs between targeted and universal programs.

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Who would benefit most from free college?

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Executive Summary Free college is unlikely to see the light of day in today's divided political environment, but is frequently in the news as a point of contention between the two leading contenders for the Democratic nomination for president.

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Calling for free college is just a manipulative tool cast out to the young public to get the millennial vote. It can't be done, and it would offset what a college education is supposed to do. We need to be more educated on this topic and see how improbable and damaging to ourselves it would be. Those who are promising it in exchange for votes are nothing more than demagogues, and lying to the young American people about what you think you can do is just cruel. These are the reasons why free college is a flawed concept, and should not be taken seriously.

1. First of all, the American public simply cannot afford it. Taxes are high now, and they will only get worse with yet another entitlement burdening the American taxpayers. If, by some chance, it was worked into the American taxes, we are forgetting a key concept of such an entitlement. For four short years, you may enjoy a free education at a university of your choice, but you have to remember what happens after you graduate. You get a job, and more importantly, you pay taxes. Part of the money you are going to be paying to the government will be going to the education that the Government had given you. Over your lifetime, you will not only have paid for your own education, but for many other's as well. Americans will be burdened will more taxes, and university quality will dwindle.

2. Flooding the college system devalues your degree. People go to college for many reasons, but the biggest one is to get a degree in a job field fit for you, and setting yourself apart from others who want the same career as yourself. The job market is more competitive now than it ever has been. Can you imagine thousands of more people with the same degree as you competing for the same job. How are you going to be made more employable than the others. Your education can only go so high, and with so many people getting the same one, there will not be enough room to find employment. More people with the same degree= less value your degree holds.

3. There is such thing as free college. That's right, you can have your college payed by the government already. It an old program that has existed for decades now. It's called the United States Military. "What? I don't want to join the military! I just want a free education because I deserve one!" To receive a free service, you should prove yourself worthy. The military offers endless opportunities for underprivileged citizens to receive an education while serving for the United States. You receive world experience, travel across the world, and can interact with fields you are actually interested in. If you really want an education to make your life better, than you should be willing to do what it takes to get one without holding your hands out. The government already gives out free college, but you have to serve the United States to get it.

There is no such thing as a free lunch. There is always going to be a price you have to pay for anything you receive. College is a prime example. You shouldn't want to burden taxpayers to pay for your education, when they don't even know who you are. You don't want your jobs to be taken from you because more people are now equally qualified for the same position. In such a state, many will find themselves having to work many jobs they wouldn't want in their darkest nightmares. You would have to go to school longer, and you probably would not come out being a valuable asset anymore. If you really want an education, put can't pay for one, the United States military can help you. It is only right that you provide your own service to the country, if it's providing such a service for you. Lose the thoughts of free college, because the consequences of such an institution would cause more harm than help.

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Top 3 Reasons Why Free College Is A Bad Idea

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Calling for free college is just a manipulative tool cast out to the young public to get the millennial vote. It can't be done, and it would offset what a college education is supposed to do. We need to be more educated on this topic and see how improbable and damaging to ourselves it would be.

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In a highly competitive global economy, we need the best-educated workforce in the world. It is insane and counter-productive to the best interests of our country and our future, that hundreds of thousands of bright young people cannot afford to go to college, and that millions of others leave school with a mountain of debt that burdens them for decades. That shortsighted path to the future must end.

Bernie Sanders will fight to make sure that every American who studies hard in school can go to college regardless of how much money their parents make and without going deeply into debt.

Here are the six steps that Bernie will take to make college debt free:

MAKE TUITION FREE AT PUBLIC COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES.

This is not a radical idea. Germany eliminated tuition because they believed that charging students $1,300 per year was discouraging Germans from going to college. Chile will do the same. Finland, Norway, Sweden and many other countries around the world also offer free college to all of their citizens. If other countries can take this action, so can the United States of America.

In fact, it's what many of our colleges and universities used to do. The University of California system offered free tuition at its schools until the 1980s. In 1965, average tuition at a four-year public university was just $243 and many of the best colleges - including the City University of New York - did not charge any tuition at all. The Sanders plan would make tuition free at public colleges and universities throughout the country.

STOP THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FROM MAKING A PROFIT ON STUDENT LOANS.

Over the next decade, it has been estimated that the federal government will make a profit of over $110 billion on student loan programs. This is morally wrong and it is bad economics. Sen. Sanders will fight to prevent the federal government from profiteering on the backs of college students and use this money instead to significantly lower student loan interest rates.

SUBSTANTIALLY CUT STUDENT LOAN INTEREST RATES.

Under the Sanders plan, the formula for setting student loan interest rates would go back to where it was in 2006. If this plan were in effect today, interest rates on undergraduate loans would drop from 4.29% to just 2.37%.

ALLOW AMERICANS TO REFINANCE STUDENT LOANS AT TODAY'S LOW INTEREST RATES.

It makes no sense that you can get an auto loan today with an interest rate of 2.5%, but millions of college graduates are forced to pay interest rates of 5-7% or more for decades. Under the Sanders plan, Americans would be able to refinance their student loans at today's low interest rates.

ALLOW STUDENTS TO USE NEED-BASED FINANCIAL AID AND WORK STUDY PROGRAMS TO MAKE COLLEGE DEBT FREE.

The Sanders plan would require public colleges and universities to meet 100% of the financial needs of the lowest-income students. Low-income students would be able to use federal, state and college financial aid to cover room and board, books and living expenses. And Sanders would more than triple the federal work study program to build valuable career experience that will help them after they graduate.

FULLY PAID FOR BY IMPOSING A TAX ON WALL STREET SPECULATORS.

The cost of this $75 billion a year plan is fully paid for by imposing a tax of a fraction of a percent on Wall Street speculators who nearly destroyed the economy seven years ago. More than 1,000 economists have endorsed a tax on Wall Street speculation and today some 40 countries throughout the world have imposed a similar tax including Britain, Germany, France, Switzerland, and China. If the taxpayers of this country could bailout Wall Street in 2008, we can make public colleges and universities tuition free and debt free throughout the country.

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On the Issues: It's Time to Make College Tuition Free and Debt Free

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In a highly competitive global economy, we need the best-educated workforce in the world. It is insane and counter-productive to the best interests of our country and our future, that hundreds of thousands of bright young people cannot afford to go to college, and that millions of others leave school with a mountain of debt that burdens them for decades.

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It's a question that might be more relevant today than ever before: Should college be free in America? Many people have very passionate opinions on the matter. Maybe you're one of them. But this question deserves a lot more than a simple yes or no answer. It deserves an open mind and a balanced exploration of the potential benefits, drawbacks, and alternatives.

After all, America's future is at stake. And nearly everyone agrees that education is one of the biggest factors that will determine the nation's fate going forward. So we have to get it right. Although some people might feel that the current system of higher education and vocational training is working well, many other people believe that it needs at least a little bit of improvement in one way or another.

College affordability is often among the top concerns. When the cost of attending college, university, or trade school is too high, a lot of students simply choose not to pursue a higher education. And that leaves many of them ill-equipped to find good employment, let alone attain the American dream. But high costs also leave some college graduates with levels of debt that hamper their abilities to attain at least a middle-class lifestyle.

So, should college be free? Is that even possible? Keep reading, and decide for yourself.

First, a Few Basic Facts

The concept of publicly funded education goes all the way back to America's Founding Fathers. In 1785, John Adams wrote: "The whole people must take upon themselves the education of the whole people and must be willing to bear the expense of it."

And, believe it or not, there actually was a time in the nation's history when people could attend public colleges for free. The Morrill Act of 1862 enabled land-grant colleges to be created by states on federal lands so that higher education could become available to Americans in every social class. The aim was "to promote the liberal and practical education of the industrial classes in the several pursuits and professions in life."

In the early days, students could often attend public land-grant colleges without paying any tuition. That was possible because only a relatively small percentage of Americans actually attended college. But as enrollment grew over the years, so did the funding requirements in each state. And that led to public colleges eventually charging tuition and raising their fees as enrollment grew and state funding slowed.

Today, the cost of attending many public colleges is so high that a lot of students simply can't afford to. As a result, far fewer students from lower-income families attend college than those from upper-income families. That is in spite of the fact that the federal government continues to supply financial aid to eligible students, including Pell Grants (which don't have to be repaid).

Here are some other important facts to keep in mind as you explore the question of whether or not college should be free:

In 2015, the total amount of student loan debt in America was estimated to be about $1.3 trillion (over 39 percent higher than it was just four years earlier).¹ And student loans are, by far, the most dominant type of financial aid. During the 2012-2013 school year alone, about 10 million college students took out student loans (a 66-percent increase from a decade earlier).²

More than $80 billion is spent each year by the federal government on post-secondary financial aid. In the 2012-2013 school year, that represented over 70 percent of all student financial assistance in the higher education sector.²

In 2013, a federal Pell Grant covered only about 30 percent of the average cost of going to a public four-year college or university. Compare that to 1973 when a Pell Grant covered over 75 percent of the cost. So, what about two-year colleges? Is community college free if you get a Pell Grant? Well, it used to be. But a Pell Grant only covered about 60 percent of the cost of attending community college in 2013.²

Over 20 million students were enrolled in American post-secondary schools in the fall of 2015, which was almost five million more than in 2000. Roughly seven million of those students attended two-year colleges.³

According to estimates from 2013, young adults in America earn over 60 percent more if they have a bachelor's degree than if they only complete high school.³

Since the mid-1900s, America's top one percent of income earners have increased their portion of the country's income by more than double.⁴

Why Should College Be Free for Everyone?

Proponents of free college believe that it would benefit the entire nation, not just the individual students who take advantage of it. They see it as both a private and public benefit. After all, more and more of today's jobs are knowledge-based or require advanced technical skills. So a better-educated workforce would help fill many of the skills gaps that prevent America's economy from growing faster.

Plus, since more people would be able to attain employer-desired credentials, more people would be able to take the good-paying jobs that often go unfilled. And that could result in billions of additional dollars circulating throughout the economy since people tend to spend more money when they have higher incomes and little or no debt. It could also mean that the government would take in a lot of extra tax revenues, which could go a long way toward paying for free public colleges.

But the issue of why college should be free isn't just an economic one. It's also a moral and philosophical one. Do we want every American, regardless of social standing, to have an equal opportunity to reach his or her potential? That's what this country is supposed to be about, yet social mobility has been eroding for the poor and middle class. And without easy and affordable access to quality higher education for everyone, the collective intelligence and goodwill of the nation could also erode. America might become even more socially divided.

Ultimately, many people believe that a college-level education should be an absolute right, so long as you have the ability to benefit from it. Here are some of the other commonly cited reasons why college should be free:

There might be a lot fewer Americans who need to seek other forms of public assistance.

People would have more freedom to contribute their talents, try new ideas, and pursue the lives they want if they didn't have to start off in debt or stay stuck in a low-wage job. That could lead to happier people. And happier people could lead to a happier, more prosperous nation as a whole.

A better-educated population could result in smarter decision-making at every level of society, which could lead to faster progress in solving our most difficult, collective challenges.

Students would be able to focus more on their studies rather than worrying about how to scrape together enough funds for each upcoming school term. As a result, more of them might graduate on time, ready to take on important jobs in their communities.

Many of America's top-performing high school students never apply to the most challenging colleges and universities even though they have the ability to succeed at them. They often come from minority and low-income households and end up pursuing more affordable, less-selective schools instead. And that helps create a widening gap between wealthier families and those that are less affluent.

Although it benefits many students, the nation's existing financial aid system currently fails to provide an equal opportunity to every qualified American.

Graduating with high amounts of student loan debt has been shown to reduce a person's chances of owning a home, getting married, having children, and accumulating wealth.

How Might the Government Pay for Free Public College?

Technically, free college isn't really free. Someone does have to pay for it. In the case of public college, that means taxpayers. But some economists believe that every American who wants to could go to college for free if the federal and state governments made a few reasonable changes. They don't see the concept as a fantasy. They see it as a very realistic option. Some of the ideas that they've put forward include:

Closing corporate tax loopholes that allow companies to legally avoid paying their full share of taxes

Increasing the tax rates for America's wealthiest millionaires and billionaires

Implementing new taxes on speculative Wall Street transactions

Diverting most of the public money currently spent on student financial aid toward making all public colleges and universities tuition-free instead

Decreasing the military budget

Cracking down on wasteful government spending

Does Free College Work Well in Other Countries?

The answer appears to be yes. But that might depend on whom you ask. So where is college free in other parts of the world?

As of the 2015-2016 school year, the countries with tuition-free public higher education (at the bachelor's and master's degree levels) included Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Norway, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Sweden, Turkey, and Poland. ⁵ Free college, in Europe especially, has proven to be a popular idea.

One reason why is that countries with free college education tend to have lower levels of student debt among their graduates. For example, in Finland, the average college student loan amounts to $1,200, which is used mostly for living expenses while in school. In Norway, the average student loan is worth $9,381. But that is still less than the U.S. average, which is $15,510. ⁶

Plus, another compelling fact about free colleges in Europe is that those nations don't generally spend that much more on higher education than the U.S. does. For instance, as a share of national GDP, the U.S. spends about 1.36 percent on post-secondary education. But Finland, Norway, and Germany only spend 2.08 percent, 1.96 percent, and 1.35 percent of their nations' GDP, respectively. ⁶

Closer to home, some people have asked, "Is college free in Canada?" The answer is no. However, college and university students in Canada do tend to pay less for their education than students in the U.S. since public post-secondary schools are heavily subsidized by the provincial, territorial, and federal governments. So the tuition is often lower. But many Canadian students still take out loans. In fact, the average student loan in Canada is worth $4,421, which is still far below the American average. ⁶

Could Free Public College Work Well in America?

That's obviously up for debate. But many of the nation's leaders believe that it could. And you don't have to look any further than President Obama. Free college-more specifically, free community college-is something that he has proposed. Yet, so far at least, the idea has not gained enough traction at the federal level.

However, a few states-Minnesota, Oregon, and Tennessee-already have free community college programs. And several other states are considering legislation that would make two-year community colleges tuition-free for eligible students. ⁷ So free public college might not be such a radical idea.

Plus, other programs around the country are demonstrating that providing people with free college can be very beneficial. For example, consider the Kalamazoo Promise in Michigan, which has been in effect since 2006. Essentially, all students who have been continuously enrolled in the Kalamazoo Public Schools (KPS) district since kindergarten-and successfully graduate from high school-are eligible to have 100 percent of their tuition and fees covered (at the undergraduate level) at any public college or university in Michigan that accepts them.

The Kalamazoo Promise also covers high school graduates who have been continuously enrolled in the KPS district for shorter amounts of time. In those cases, students can have 65 percent or more of their tuition and fees covered, depending on how long they've been enrolled. And students are given up to 10 years to use the scholarship after graduating from high school.

The impact has been positive. From 2006 to 2013, the percentage of KPS graduates who earned a college-level credential within six years of completing high school rose from roughly 36 percent to about 48 percent. And the impact has been the greatest on the district's low-income students who have increased their probability of attending and completing a four-year college education by over 50 percent. ⁸

Why College Should Not Be Free for Everybody

Opponents of free college tend to believe that such an idea would simply be too expensive for the federal and state governments to maintain long-term. As a result, Americans may have to start paying much higher taxes. And that, they say, could hurt the economy since people might have less to spend or invest.

In addition, countries like the U.S., Canada, South Korea, and Japan have already proven that free higher education isn't necessary for building some of the world's most educated workforces. And free public college, by itself, would likely not be enough to promote the big improvements in social mobility that are needed throughout America. That's especially true when you consider the responsibilities of adult and non-traditional learners who often have challenges that aren't just strictly financial in nature.

Many opponents of free college are especially against the idea of making community colleges tuition-free. They point to national statistics indicating that public community colleges are often dead ends for students. For example, only about 20 percent of first-time, full-time students at public two-year colleges earn associate's degrees, diplomas, or certificates within three years of starting. And only 15 percent of them go on to earn bachelor's degrees within six years. (In contrast, 54 percent of students at private, non-profit two-year schools-and 63 percent of students at private, for-profit two-years schools-Graduate within three years.) ³

So making community colleges free could have some negative consequences for non-traditional students who often benefit from attending private colleges or vocational schools. If the U.S. government diverts more funding toward making community colleges tuition-free, then students attending private schools could potentially lose access to federal financial aid since that might be one of the tradeoffs. They would then need to decide whether to attend free public schools that may be a lot more crowded or provide less effective (and less convenient) training.

Here are a few other reasons why some people oppose free college for everyone:

With more people choosing to attend public colleges because of their tuition-free status, many schools might have to create wait lists or expand the ones they already have. State budgets could become strained, which might lead to cuts and decreased access to the programs that students want to take.

Public colleges and universities might become less worried about wasteful spending since they won't have to compete with other schools on cost. And that could strain public budgets even further.

Many students would still have to borrow money for their living expenses as well as for books and supplies. So they wouldn't get to leave school completely debt-free.

Students might take their college education less seriously if they don't have to pay for it. So graduation numbers might drop, or the people who do graduate might not be as well prepared for the workforce.

Students may not learn to become as financially literate or independent as they should be, choosing instead to stay dependent on government programs whenever possible.

If a lot more people are able to earn college degrees, then the value of those degrees could decrease. And that could lead to a rising number of workers who are underemployed based on their qualifications.

Are There Better Alternatives?

Maybe some kind of middle ground exists. Maybe making public colleges free for everyone isn't the best way to solve the affordability problem. At least, that's what some people believe. They point out that other options have been shown to work well and that those options might be a lot less expensive for American taxpayers.

For example, consider the possibility of an income-based repayment system. For some former college students in the U.S., that is already a reality. They are able to have the repayment of their student loans tied to a small percentage of their incomes. And if they earn below a certain threshold, then they don't have to make any payments. After 20 to 25 years, whatever is left on their loans is written off, as long as they have consistently kept up with all of the payments that were due. The problem, currently, is that this option is only available to low-income people who can prove that they are experiencing financial hardship.

But what if loans with income-based repayment were available to every student? You would be able to attend college, university, or trade school without having to pay for tuition while enrolled. Then, after you left school, you would only have to pay an affordable percentage of what you earned (or, if you didn't earn much, pay nothing at all until your income rose). The more money you earned, the quicker you would pay off the loan. And if your income stayed low, you would have the peace of mind of knowing that your loan obligations would eventually expire.

That's exactly the type of system that Australia uses through its Higher Education Loan Program (HELP). Plus, no interest is applied to the program's student loans. And for those earning incomes above a reasonable threshold, the repayment percentage ranges from only four to eight percent, which is very affordable. On average, it takes just over eight years for an Australian graduate to repay a HELP loan. Of course, many loans will never be fully repaid (roughly 17 percent of them). But the system has been designed to allow for that. ⁶

With a system like HELP, college graduates have the freedom to take on lower-paying jobs while they get established. And it provides an incentive for aspiring artists, writers, musicians, philosophers, and other visionaries to pursue an education and develop their talents without worrying about the costs. After all, the world needs such people. Our future would be bleak without them.

So an income-based repayment system represents a compromise. Certainly, taxpayers would still have to help fund it since not all loans would be repaid. But the tax requirements would likely be much lower compared to what a tuition-free system would require. And such a system would also put some of the onus back on students. It would remove important obstacles to higher education without removing accountability or a sense of ownership.

Other ideas and alternatives to free public college that have been put forward by various people include:

Greatly expanding the existing Pell Grant program while cutting back on student loans

Investing in a better system of youth-development and community-development programs

Discouraging the distribution of merit-based financial aid to wealthy students and using that money to provide more opportunities for poor and middle-class students instead

Developing a larger and more robust apprenticeship system for the skilled trades and many other vocational areas

Establishing better incentives for employers to provide more extensive on-the-job training rather than depending on the higher education system to supply fully qualified workers

Providing more incentives to colleges, universities, and trade schools to lower their costs and keep them low

Establishing a more extensive system of national service that enables young adults or career-changing adults to learn new skills, become part of something bigger than themselves, and network with other people while helping to solve some of the biggest challenges in the nation's communities-all in exchange for discounted or tuition-free college

Investing in better pre-college education that teaches students, in greater detail, about all of the realistic options that are available to them

Investing in better financial education for everyone so that all students become financially literate and know how to make money work for them before attending college or getting their first jobs

Providing more public support, including research and development funding, to innovators who are creating online, low-cost, and customized alternatives to traditional institutions of higher education

What's the Best Way Forward for Students Right Now?

Like other students, you might have a lot of options available to you. But the longer you wait to begin your post-secondary education, the more opportunities you may be missing out on. So even though "Should college be free?" is a question worth debating, the best action to take right now is probably to investigate the many helpful possibilities that already exist.

Why not check out some of the career-driven programs in your area just to see how you might benefit from them? Generate a list of nearby schools right now by putting your zip code into the following search tool!

¹ Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, website last visited on March 1, 2016.

² Lumina Foundation, Redefining College Affordability: Securing America's Future with a Free Two Year College Option, website last visited on March 1, 2016.

³ U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, website last visited on January 27, 2017.

⁴ Inequality.org, website last visited on June 8, 2017.

⁵ Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Education at a Glance 2017: OECD Indicators, website last visited on February 6, 2018.

⁶ European Expert Network on Economics of Education, Student Debt in Selected Countries, website last visited on March 1, 2016.

⁷ National Conference of State Legislatures, " Free Community College," website last visited on March 4, 2016.

⁸ W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, The Effects of the Kalamazoo Promise Scholarship on College Enrollment, Persistence, and Completion, website last visited on March 4, 2016.

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Should College Be Free? Here's What You Need to Consider

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It's a question that might be more relevant today than ever before: Should college be free in America? Many people have very passionate opinions on the matter. Maybe you're one of them. But this question deserves a lot more than a simple yes or no answer.

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Op-Ed Article: San Francisco and the Rise of Free College Tuition

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Op-Ed Article: San Francisco and the Rise of Free College Tuition

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Click it anyways.