Friday, January 9, 2015
Consumers Union hails President’s free community college proposal to make education more affordable, accessible
WASHINGTON — President Obama today is announcing a proposal to make community college tuition-free for two years for many U.S. students, under a program that could benefit 9 million students annually. A full-time community college student would save an average of $3,800 in tuition per year if the proposal is implemented. The President is announcing the program in Tennessee, which is launching a free community college program for students this year.
Consumers Union, the advocacy arm of Consumer Reports, hailed the President’s proposal as an important and ambitious initiative to make education more affordable and accessible.
Suzanne Martindale, staff attorney for Consumers Union, said, “This type of program has several clear benefits. It reduces the need for student loans, and it makes community college more attractive than an expensive for-profit college program. The path to creating this program may be long and challenging, but we think there’s great potential for this idea at the federal and state level.”
Pamela Banks, senior policy counsel for Consumers Union, said, “College tuition costs have put quality education out of reach for many Americans, and student loan debt is a crushing burden for too many individuals and families. This proposal would go a long way toward making a college education a reality for millions who need it.”
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Media contact: David Butler, dbutler@consumer.org,