Dive Brief:
- While the idea of debt-free college has taken off in the Democratic presidential primary campaign, hardly any details accompany these calls for action.
- Inside Higher Ed reports that some institutions are welcoming the conversation as a way to bring attention to shrinking state investment in higher education, but an overhaul in federal spending would bring its own challenges.
- More money from the federal government likely would mean more strings attached to it, and if federal money is targeted mostly to public institutions, Inside Higher Ed reports that programs supporting students wherever they go, like Pell Grants, could be in danger.
Dive Insight:
Democratic presidential candidate and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders recently released a fleshed out proposal for debt-free college, calling for a new financial transactions tax to pay for the increased spending. According to Inside Higher Ed, he would require colleges to have 75% of their courses taught by tenure or tenure-track faculty to be eligible for the federal funding, a major hurdle for many campuses.
These are the types of additional strings that could come with increased federal funding. The Obama administration’s proposal for free community college already created similar rumblings when it was released. That proposal, of course, has been overshadowed but not forgotten as the presidential campaign picks up. With little support for such additional spending measures from the Republican side of Congress, though, neither proposal can go anywhere.