What do Chris Rock, Louis C.K., and Barack Obama have in common? They’re all teaming up to support a new Heads Up initiative to make community college free.
Student loans are a drag. But the White House wants to lighten the load for future graduates by making two years at their local community college free. That’s right. They want to give them a chance to graduate with a total bill of $0.00.
A future convo between Obama and aspiring community college students. GIF from “Bridesmaids.”
Why #FreeCommunityCollege? It’ll help more people gain access to a college education.
Community college lets folks who don’t fit the picture of the “typical” college student have a chance at higher education. Right now, one-third of community college students are the first in their family to attend college. These students also tend to be older, with an average age of 28. Community colleges are cheaper and have more flexibility in course times, which has long made them attractive options for adults who are juggling a lot, like single parents or military veterans.
More first-generation college students, single parents, and veterans with associate degrees means more Americans who will have a fighting chance to get the jobs they want and the wages they deserve.
Mo’ jobs + mo’ money + less debt = everybody wins!
This doesn’t solve the student loan debt problem, but it’s certainly a start.
With American college graduates heading into the “real world” with an average of $28,000 in student loan debt, this is just the tip of the iceberg. It won’t fix the problem (uh, I don’t even want to tell you how much student loan debt I have), but giving more students the chance to graduate with less debt is something I can get behind.
