Hillary Clinton to unveil $350 billion plan to make higher education affordable


On Monday, Hillary Clinton will announce her plan to make college more affordable and accessible for millions of Americans.
Called the New College Compact, the plan would create an incentive program that will give more money to states that agree to offer "no loan" tuition at community colleges and four-year public universities; states that enroll more low- and middle-income students; and states that work with colleges to reduce living expenses for students, The Washington Post reports. The plan would cost $350 billion over the course of 10 years, and Clinton would close tax loopholes to secure funding. More than half of the money would be invested in the states, and one-third would go to lowering interest rates on student loans.
The rest of the money would go into other initiatives, including giving grants to schools for child care and emergency financial aid in order to increase graduation rates; investing in support systems on campuses for older students; and allowing federal student aid to be used for online career training programs that issue certificates. "This plan would go further to help the 40 million Americans with student debt than any other plan right now," Chris Hicks, with Jobs for Justice's Debt-Free Future campaign, told the Post. "Other candidates and Congress need to pay attention."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Labubu: the 'creepy' dolls sparking brawls in the shops
Craze for the pint-sized soft toys has reached fever pitch among devotees
-
The top period dramas to stream now
The Week Recommends Heaving bosoms and billowing shirts are standard fare in these historical TV classics
-
Women need more pain management during gynecological procedures
Under the radar Pain should no longer be ignored
-
Supreme Court may bless church-run charter schools
Speed Read The case is 'one of the biggest on church and state in a generation'
-
Harvard sues Trump over frozen grant money
Speed Read The Trump administration withheld $2.2 billion in federal grants and contracts after Harvard rejected its demands
-
Harvard loses $2.3B after rejecting Trump demands
speed read The university denied the Trump administration's request for oversight and internal policy changes
-
USC under fire for canceling valedictorian speech
Speed Read Citing safety concerns, the university canceled a pro-Palestinian student's speech
-
Florida teachers can 'say gay' under settlement
speed read The state reached a settlement with challengers of the 2022 "Don't Say Gay" education law
-
Biden administration to forgive $39B in student loan debt for 800K borrowers
Speed Read
-
Advocacy groups challenge Harvard's legacy admissions policy
Speed Read
-
2 Michigan school districts ban backpacks after confiscating 4th gun this year
Speed Read