Negotiations have derailed attempts – democratic members can’t come to consensus

President Biden may have tabled his bid for universal free community college, but states and municipalities are keeping the momentum going with new or expanded programs to cover tuition.

At least seven tuition-free initiatives have publicly launched since November, according to the College Promise campaign, which advocates making the first two or more years of college free. The governors of Pennsylvania and Maine are pushing for new programs, while the University of Texas System Board of Regents recently approved a $300 million endowment to cover tuition for more students at its public institutions.

Political negotiations spell the demise of Biden’s universal community college plan

College Promise programs, as tuition-free initiatives are commonly known, enjoy widespread support across the political spectrum. Forty-seven states and D.C. have at least one such program at the college, city or state level. There are 33 statewide programs that cover tuition at community colleges or universities and higher education, and experts say the number is likely to grow.

Critics of universal public college say the price tag is unsustainable. Opponents of tuition-free community college say too many of the schools have poor outcomes, with fewer than 40 percent of students earning a degree within six years. Advocates argue that could be remedied by providing more institutional dollars and financial aid to keep students on track.

A handful of bills have been introduced this Congress to provide tuition-free access to community college or public universities, but none have advanced.

Biden is still calling for the federal government to step up its role in subsidizing college. In his first State of the Union address this week, the president urged Congress to “invest in what Jill, our first lady, … calls America’s best-kept secret: community colleges.”

Neither Biden nor first lady Jill Biden, a professor at Northern Virginia Community College, have conceded defeat in creating a federal-state partnership to lower the cost of college. Their plans were scuttled as Democrats fought and failed to reach a consensus on the president’s signature Build Back Better package. But Biden continues to emphasize the policy as a priority.

Advocates welcome the commitment as they say federal dollars are critical for the longevity of College Promise programs. Did the idea of free public higher education go down with the Democrats? “There is a real opportunity to build on what local communities and states are doing,” said Martha Kanter, the executive director of the nonprofit College Promise campaign. A federal-state partnership “will create a sustainable endowment process that could fully fund this for all.”

In the meantime, Kanter, a former undersecretary of education in the Obama administration, said state leaders are upping their investment in postsecondary education as a part of their economic strategy. Take New Mexico, where Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) signed into law Friday legislation that funds tuition for up to 35,000 residents to pursue certificates, associate’s and bachelor’s degrees this fall. The bill would create one of the most inclusive College Promise programs in the country by covering tuition for part-time students and adult learners returning to school.

Many tuition plans only cover full-time students who are fresh out of high school, and provide funding after other state and federal grants are taken into account — what’s known as a last-dollar model. New Mexico, however, will provide funding before other scholarships are applied. That means a student whose family income is low enough to qualify for a Pell Grant can use those federal dollars toward other college expenses.

It seems like a no-lose idea: free college. But nobody can agree on the details.