Obama proposes free community college education for students

President Barack Obama pushes the idea of a publicly funded community college program, a proposal to would benefit the U.S. workforce. The price tag to make it happen is not known as of yet. The White House said Obama wants to make higher education available to all people who are willing to work hard. Students who enter the program and keep their grades up could earn a full associate’s degree or half of a Bachelor’s. Students would have to attend school at least part-time, and maintain a 2.5 GPA. Administration officials said that the funding details would be revealed at a later date with the president’s budget. An estimated 9 million students could participate and potentially save an average of almost $4,000 in tuition per year. The federal government would pick up 75% of the cost and the remaining quarter would come from states that opt into the program. The idea was similar to Obama’s 2013 State of the Union proposal to provide universal preschool. Congress rejected it in the end due to cost issues. David Baime, vice president for government relations at the American Association of Community Colleges, called the plan an extraordinary investment and something that the organization would heartily endorse.