President Barack Obama has proposed a new plan to make two years of community college free for responsible students in the U.S.
MSNBC reported that the president spoke about the plan during a visit to Pellissippi State Community College in Knoxville, Tennessee on Friday.
“I’m announcing an ambitious new plan to bring down the cost of college tuition in America,” he said. “I want to bring it down to zero.”
According to WhiteHouse.gov, approximately 9 million students would benefit under the new plan and save an estimated $3,800 in tuition and fees per year. To qualify students would have to maintain a 2.5 GPA or higher, the website noted.
The hashtag #FreeCommunityCollege began trending on Twitter Friday and the reactions were mixed.
While supporters tweeted that it would be a great idea because they feel, like the president, that higher education is necessary for Americans to compete in the global economy. Others warned that the “free” education would be paid for by someone else and could come with a hefty price tag of 60 billion over 10 years.
Either way, the new plan may prove to be too tricky to pass in a now fully Republican-controlled Congress. So we’ll just have to stay tuned to see how this plays out.