Thoughts?
Where is the money going to come from to pay for this? I am curious how many states choose to implement this plan…
Provided only qualified/responsible students are eligible, I’m all for it as a taxpayer.
Community college tuition is cheaper than public K-12 cost per student. It’s a good investment.
I’m not okay with subsidizing part-time students with a 2.5, with federal or state funds. The bar has to be set higher.
@NEPats, right now you’re giving it away for free to unmotivated HS who read on a 5th grade level. At least the CC aspirants will be motivated.
True. Not happy about that either but that’s based on income right? Everyone should be held to the same standards if we are going to subsidize education. I have no problem with my tax dollars paying but the bar has to be set much higher…I also understand that some students can only attend part-time and I am definately okay with that as well. But I think we have a right (and duty) to expect more for our $$.
Are community colleges prepared to handle what I’d imagine will be a huge uptick in applications/attendance?
Will 4 year colleges be willing to accept the increased students in the 3rd & 4th year?
Many don’t even graduate HS, this will not help them. What about those the drop out without completing the 2 years - is that money lost??
$3800 x 9 million = $34.2 Billion per year…,not chump change!
What do we flush down the toilet per day in Iraq or Afghanistan?
I hate the idea of randomly throwing more money around on the basis that we already waste money elsewhere. The entire budget should be scrubbed by rational, everyday folks to trim out the excessive waste, but that is another issue - and will never happen.
As I think it about more, IMHO the 2 biggest problems with college affordability for the middle class is the ever escalating tuition and the fraud, waste and abuse of the current funds committed to aid - and maybe these 2 are somehow related.
I don’t see how this program would help either of those problems. In fact, I could see how CCs might get a huge influx of students and aid $$, but after that the 4 year schools would be forced to jack up the tuition to make up for the losses they will experience. And, as I said before, how much aid money will be wasted on students who go to CC, but never even finish the 2 year degree, or the amount of money invested in getting CCs ready for the potential attendance influx that may never be realized?
On the surface the program sounds like a feel good thing that no one could argue with, but I question how effective it would really be. Too bad we couldn’t just focus on getting kids to finish high school and increase the high school graduation rates, rather than just adding 2 additional years of “free” education. At the same time something could be done to stem the increases in college tuition. You would think with all these high powered business schools, someone could could come up with ideas to cut costs and/or improved efficiencies at universities and drive tuition down.
You’re already subsidizing students through Pell and there’s no GPA minimum tied to that at all. Each college sets their own requirement for students to remain in good standing.
Personally, I don’t think educating our children is a waste. If colleges will grant diplomas to students who have 2.5 GPAs now, what difference does it make whether more of our tax dollars go to support educating students of that caliber? And if they won’t, our tax dollars won’t be going there anyway because the schools will put those students on academic probation and eventually dismiss them.
There’s no such thing as Free Lunch. They will get the money from the backs of the middle class. Is anyone willing to contribute $100 or more per month by way of higher taxes to fund the Free Community College?
We already fund education through K-12 and now college…let them go into the Armed Forces and then their education will be free through GI education funds.
I’m still unaware of where that $34B is gonna come from. Is that gonna mean less aid for students going to 4 year colleges? Are they gonna squeeze out the middle class even more now?
austinmshauri said - what difference does it make whether more of our tax dollars go to support educating students of that caliber? And if they won’t, our tax dollars won’t be going there anyway because the schools will put those students on academic probation and eventually dismiss them
My problem is that aid money thrown at folks that eventually get dismissed would have been better invested in others who successfully complete their degree (thus minimizing the debt they are forced to carry after graduation)…that’ the biggest difference I see.
With employment opportunities for youths with at most a high school education declining this plan can stem the decline. First it would increase the number of new employees with a formal college education. Second it would serve as a second chance for late bloomers. And third it remove the barriers to college for many students who come from low income homes.
It’s a brilliant plan with inherently low costs and great potential.
I’m curious to see what the people of CC think of this. Good or bad idea?
http://time.com/3660891/obama-proposes-free-community-college/
I agree with the bar being set higher. Only 30% of CC students graduate within 3 years so that is like throwing money away. Don’t see why a 3.5 GPA student would drop out of CC
I think its a terrible idea. If each States want to provide free college tuition (many do) based on GPA, that’s appropriate. Why should I pay for my kids to go to school, and other kids in other states? Georgia has free tuition at state schools, IF your GPA is in the correct range. It’s paid for by the lottery. Done! Other states have similar programs.
Fellas need to understand that the government does not make a single penny on its own. ALL the income it makes derives from… you guessed it, our Tax Dollars.
While it may seem as a noble plan to grant education to the disenfranchised of the society, there are already so many programs and opportunities in place. For example, when I graduated HS, I was awarded NJ Stars Scholarship, a free education for 4 years of community college for those students in the top 10% of the graduating class for individual schools.
Those who value education, regardless of their socioeconomic background, will most likely succeed. It seems to me that our president is focusing on things that are of not our immediate urgent concern.
The middle class would be equally welcome to take advantage of two free years at their local community college, wouldn’t they? I wonder how many of them would object to these proposed grants if, instead of offering it for only community colleges, they could apply that $7-8k/year grant to the 4-year college of their choice. My suspicion is that many who don’t like it aren’t objecting because of the tax implications, they don’t like it because their kids aren’t enrolling in their local cc so they won’t personally benefit from it. I don’t benefit from Pell, but it doesn’t mean it’s not a beneficial program.