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But recent graduates\u2019 wallets aren\u2019t the only thing to be worried about. Student debt greatly impacts the economy. It hinders young people\u2019s ability to buy a home, start a business or be an active consumer.
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So, higher education in the United States clearly needs to be made more affordable. And going into the campaign trail, many of the 2020 Democratic candidates have gone as far to suggest it should be free.
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Here is where the 2020 candidates stand on free college: <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)<\/strong> Bernie Sanders has been one of the leading advocates for tuition-free public college, arguably introducing the idea into national discourse during the 2016 Democratic primaries. Sanders\u2019 College for All Act<\/a> seeks to eliminate tuition and fees for families making under $125,000 per year. While it doesn\u2019t eliminate tuition fees outright, it would provide states with a total of $47 billion per year in federal funding to eliminate undergraduate tuition at public universities across America. In a 2017 opinion piece<\/a> published by Vice Impact, Sanders argued that the United States needs to vastly improve the education of its workforce in order to compete in the world economy. Noting that the United States has slipped from first in the world in college graduation rates to eleventh in 2017, his contention is: \u201cThe main reason is because the ever-rising cost of higher education puts college out of reach for many families or requires students to take on a mountain of debt.\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s time to change that dynamic,\u201d he continued. \u201cIt\u2019s time to make public colleges and universities tuition free for the working families of our country. It is time for every child to understand that if they study hard and take their school work seriously they will be able to get a higher education, regardless of their family\u2019s income. It\u2019s time to reduce the outrageous burden of student debt that is weighing down the lives of millions of college graduates.\u201d Sanders\u2019 tuition-free higher education plan extends to community college students. Under the College for All Act, community college would be tuition-free for students of all income levels. To read Bernie Sanders\u2019 positions on <\/em>student loan debt<\/em><\/a> and other key issues, click <\/em>here<\/em><\/a>.<\/em> Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii)<\/strong> Gabbard publicized her support for tuition-free college when she endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders<\/a>\u2019 (I-Vt.) College For All Act<\/a> in 2017. \u201cThe cost of tuition keeps too many people from pursuing a college education. We need to resolve student debt and guarantee #CollegeForAll,\u201d she tweeted<\/a>. Gabbard also supports measures included in Sanders\u2019 College For All Act that would make community college free. \u201cWhether it\u2019s vocational training or a college degree, education should not be cost-prohibitive for anyone,\u201d Gabbard states on her website<\/a>. To read Tulsi Gabbard\u2019s positions on <\/em>student loan debt <\/em><\/a>and other key issues, click <\/em>here<\/em><\/a>.<\/em> Joe Biden, Former U.S. Vice President <\/strong> Biden has his own ideas on how to make four-year college tuition-free. In a recent speech<\/a>, he explained the details of his plan. He claims that his free-college program would cost $6 billion every year, and it would be paid for by eliminating the \u201cstepped-up basis loophole,\u201d which essentially allows heirs to inheritances to avoid paying capital gains taxes on inherited assets like stocks and land. Biden has been a staunch supporter of making community college free for quite some time. In 2015, he stood alongside President Obama in requesting funding to make two years of community college free for low-income students. His wife Jill has spent time teaching in community colleges, and calls them \u201cAmerica\u2019s best-kept secret<\/a>.\u201d She serves as the honorary chair to the College Promise Campaign, an organization dedicated to making free community college a reality in all 50 states. If she becomes the First Lady, there is a good chance making community college free would be at the top of her bucket list. To read Joe Biden\u2019s positions on <\/em>student loan debt<\/em><\/a> and other key issues, click <\/em>here<\/em><\/a>.<\/em> Juli\u00e1n Castro, Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary<\/strong> Castro\u2019s education plan, called the \u201cPeople First Education Plan<\/a>,\u201d seeks to eliminate the cost of tuition at public colleges and universities. While his plan does not specifically call for eliminating the \u201centire cost of college,\u201d he does suggest taking certain measures, such as expanding the Pell Grant program, to help students afford living expenses while working toward their degree. \u201cStudents and graduates who have made a commitment to invest in their futures should see an investment from their government in return,\u201d Castro wrote in an outline of his plan<\/a>. \u201cMy plan would make that investment, knowing it will pay off both for students and for our national prosperity in the long run.\u201d Castro\u2019s new plan would also eliminate tuition costs at all public community colleges and technical and vocational schools. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.)<\/strong> While some candidates, including Bernie Sanders<\/a> and Tulsi Gabbard<\/a>, support tuition-free college, Harris supports debt-free college education<\/a>. There is an important distinction between \u201cdebt-free college\u201d and \u201cfree college\u201d programs. The phrase \u201cfree college\u201d can be used to describe \u201ctuition-free\u201d programs, which would relieve students at state universities from paying tuition, but does not cover the costs of books, housing, or meal plans. \u201cDebt-free college\u201d proposals, however, cover tuition as well as living expenses. Harris has co-sponsored the Debt-Free College Act of 2018<\/a>, which would \u201cprovide students the opportunity to attain higher education at in-state public institutions of higher education without debt.\u201d Harris has expressed support for free tuition in community colleges. In 2016, prior to her election to the Senate, she drafted a petition<\/a> stating that community college tuition should be free. One year later, she signed onto Bernie Sanders\u2019 College For All Act<\/a>, a measure that would have provided free tuition to community college students, regardless of income. To read Kamala Harris\u2019 positions on <\/em>student loan debt<\/em><\/a> and other key issues, click <\/em>here<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.)<\/strong> Booker joins Harris<\/a> and others in support of the Debt Free College Act<\/a>, which would make the entire cost of college free, including housing, books and other expenses. “We constantly tell young people that higher education is the key to success. Yet, our current system punishes them for seeking an education through predatory loans and saddling them with outrageous debt,” Booker said in a statement<\/a>. “For the millions of students across the country, we must do better and [the Debt Free College Act] does that with a path for achieving a debt-free college degree.” Booker is a staunch supporter<\/a> of community colleges. He previously supported The America\u2019s College Promise Act<\/a>, which would make two years of community college free. The Act proposed that the federal government would invest $3 for every $1 a state invests towards community college tuition for students. It also ensures that community colleges offer academic credits that can easily be transferred to a four-year state college or university. \u201cCommunity colleges serve almost half of the undergraduate students in the United States and both help students prepare to succeed at four-year institutions and provide critical workforce training,\u201d a passage on his website<\/a> states. \u201cSenator Booker will continue to advocate for community colleges both in New Jersey and across the country.\u201d To read Cory Booker\u2019s positions on <\/em>student loan debt<\/em><\/a> and other key issues, click <\/em>here<\/em><\/a>.<\/em> Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.)<\/strong> In the past, Gillibrand has expressed her support of the Debt Free College Act<\/a>, which would make the entire cost of college free, including housing, books and other expenses. But more recently, she suggested<\/a> a national public service plan, in which young people could commit a year of public service in exchange for two years of free college, or commit two years of public service in exchange for four years of free college. Gillibrand has long believed that community college should be free. Through her recent public service plan, students could exchange public service work for free tuition at all public universities, including community college. To read Kirsten Giilibrand\u2019s positions on <\/em>student loan debt<\/em><\/a> and other key issues, click <\/em>here<\/em><\/a>.<\/em> Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.)<\/strong> Warren recently proposed her own comprehensive plan called the Universal Free College Program<\/a>, which would eliminate the total cost of college — including room, board and textbooks — by implementing a 2 percent annual tax on the 75,000 richest families in the United States. Her campaign estimates the tax would bring in $2.75 trillion over 10 years. In a passage on her website<\/a>, Warren writes: \u201cAs I travel all across the Commonwealth [Massachusetts], I meet young people who have done everything right: they played by the rules, they worked hard, they finished college, and yet they\u2019re finding themselves unemployed, drowning in debt, and in many cases, moving back home with mom and dad. These young people did all we asked of them \u2014 and they\u2019re getting slammed.\u201d Warren has advocated for free community college for quite some time. She first publicized her commitment to making community college free and accessible for anyone when she supported Bernie Sanders\u2019 College For All Act<\/a>. And her new Universal Free College Plan<\/a> would also make community college free. To read Elizabeth Warren\u2019s positions on <\/em>student loan debt<\/em><\/a> and other key issues, click <\/em>here<\/em><\/a>. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.)<\/strong> Unlike many of her competitors for the 2020 Democratic nomination, Klobuchar is not a proponent of making four-year colleges and universities tuition-free. \u201cI am not for free four-year college for all, no,\u201d she said at a CNN town hall<\/a>. \u201cAnd I wish \u2014 if I was a magic genie and could give that to everyone and we could afford it, I would,\u201d she said. Instead, she takes a matter-of-fact approach to the subject. She, as a more-moderate candidate, doesn\u2019t believe that free four-year college for all is a realistically achievable goal. Instead, she suggests ideas, such as expanding Pell grants and increasing student loan affordability, to chip away student debt. Klobuchar has, however, co-sponsored the America\u2019s College Promise Act<\/a>, showing she does support making two-year community college tuition-free. While speaking at a CNN town hall<\/a>, she suggested that there are a lot of open jobs that call for certifications and two-year degrees \u2014 alluding that graduating from a four-year college or university isn\u2019t the only path to a successful career. \u201cWe must also invest in community and technical colleges, apprenticeships, and training and credential programs to ensure we are preparing people for the jobs of tomorrow that our businesses are creating today,\u201d Klobuchar wrote on her Senate website<\/a>. To read Amy Klobuchar\u2019s positions on <\/em>student loan debt<\/em><\/a> and other key issues, click <\/em>here<\/em><\/a>.<\/em> Andrew Yang, N.Y. Entrepreneur<\/strong> Yang is not a supporter of free college. \u201cI love the spirit of free college . . . I just think it sends the wrong message,\u201d Yang said<\/a> at a South by Southwest press conference. Yang recognizes the need to bring down tuition costs, but, largely, he thinks that the United States is \u201coverselling\u201d four-year colleges. Instead, he believes that young adults should consider college as just one of their many options. \u201cAs we have tried to plow more people into college. . . we\u2019ve brought down the college completion rate,\u201d Yang said. \u201cForty-one percent of people who start college do not graduate within four years,\u201d he continued. \u201cAnd so selling college as a panacea is not going to work. It\u2019s subsidizing something that is enjoyed by the top third of the population,\u201d Policy-wise, he wants to address the college affordability problem at its roots \u2014 by shrinking tuition costs. Specifically, he wants colleges to work towards adjusting their administrator-to-student ratio from the current 1-to-21 to 1-to-30. \u201cThe ratio was 1 to 50 in the 1970s,\u201d Yang states on his website<\/a>. \u201cIf we can get back to that level then college will be much cheaper. Yang believes in investing \u201cvery highly<\/a>\u201d in vocational schools, technical schools and community colleges, as they produce skilled workers in necessary fields, such as plumbing and air conditioning repair, who aren\u2019t as replaceable by automation. \u201cWe need to start trying to address the imbalances in our system. And one of the imbalances is that we are overprescribing college and we\u2019re undersupporting vocational trades and apprenticeships,\u201d Yang said<\/a>. To read Andrew Yang\u2019s positions on <\/em>student loan debt<\/em><\/a> and other key issues, click <\/em>here<\/em><\/a>.<\/em> Pete Buttigieg, Mayor of South Bend, Indiana<\/strong> Recently, Buttigieg switched his opinion<\/a> on free college. Specifically, he now supports making public college \u201cdebt-free\u201d for low-income families and \u201ctuition-free\u201d for middle-income families. Largely, he plans to do this through a state-federal partnership and by increasing Pell Grants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To read Pete Buttigieg\u2019s positions on <\/em>student loan debt<\/em><\/a> and other key issues, click <\/em>here<\/em><\/a>.<\/em> Beto O\u2019Rourke, Former Democratic Representative of Texas<\/strong> Overall, Beto O\u2019Rourke has stayed relatively quiet in regards to his opinion on free four-year college. However, in a recent video<\/a> taken at Grinnell College, O\u2019Rourke answered a student\u2019s question, saying, \u201cNo, I’m not for free college for all.\u201d O\u2019Rourke has, however, publicized his support<\/a> of the America\u2019s College Promise Act<\/a>, which would make two years of community college free. In an interview with The Cougar \u2014 the University of Houston\u2019s student-run news organization, O\u2019Rourke said<\/a>: \u201cI\u2019d love to continue the proposal made by our previous president, Barack Obama, that at a minimum, your first two years at any state institution \u2014 community college, University of Texas, A&M, Tech, taxpayer-supported institutions \u2014 should be free for the student at a minimum. That investment, maybe a little upfront, is paid back many times over in the productivity, earning potential and the taxes paid by those who are able to afford an education. I think those are three great ideas to start with. I\u2019m open to others. We can certainly do better by our students.\u201d To read Beto O\u2019Rourke\u2019s positions on <\/em>student loan debt<\/em><\/a> and other key issues, click <\/em>here<\/em><\/a>.<\/em>![\"Supporters](\"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Support-Tuition-Free-College.png\")
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