On Friday, President Obama announced his intent to send legislation to Congress to make the first two years of community college free across the nation – America’s College Promise proposal.

The proposal, a federal-state partnership, would be funded primarily by the federal government (75%) and ask states to fund the remaining (25%). In addition, to qualify students would be required to attend at least half-time, maintain a GPA of at least 2.5, and progress towards their degree.

The proposal asks community colleges to strengthen their programs and increase the number of students who graduate. In particular, to offer academic programs that fully transfer to local public, four-year colleges/universities or occupational training programs with high graduation rates and lead to degrees/certificates that are in high demand by employers.

Finally, states will be required  to invest more in higher education and training by contributing the remaining funds necessary to eliminate community college tuition for eligible students as well as commit to continuing existing investments in higher education, coordinate education to reduce the need for remediation and repeated courses, and allocate a significant portion of funding based on performance not enrollment alone. In return, the federal government will pick-up the majority of the costs but will also provide states with flexibility to use some resources to expand quality community college offerings, improve affordability at four-year public universities, and improve college readiness through outreach and early intervention.

While the proposal would only cover tuition, which is a portion of the entire cost of education, and only pay for two years of college, many students go beyond two years, the White House estimates it would save 9 million students approximately $3,800 per year in tuition if every state chose to participate.
Details are still forthcoming in the President’s 2016 budget, but many questions remain unclear such as how the program would work, how the grants to states would be structured, and how the program would interact with the Pell Grant and other tuition-based financial aid programs.

Some remain cautious of the new program. Some are concerned that this will provide funding to students who can afford tuition. Others argue that tuition is often entirely covered by the Pell Grant for low-income students, but that it is the cost of living and foregone wages, not tuition, that are the biggest financial barriers.

Still the opportunity to change the dialogue around higher education to focus on the possibility for everybody to earn an education is an argument made in favor of the program.