Tuition is only part of the cost of going to college, but it's a big part.
The Washington Post has compiled a searchable data base of colleges now offering free tuition to students from families with modest incomes. There are a lot of colleges in the data base.
Income thresholds vary considerably from state to state. In some states, free tuition seems to be offered at regional campuses but not at flagship research universities. Some private colleges have income thresholds that are quite high. Most private colleges seem not to be on the list.
And of course, many students will still need assistance with books, food, transportation, housing, health care, and child care.
I wonder how students in high schools like mine – where there were few resources for steering kids toward college – would ever find a database like this. I wonder if/how states are publicizing these plans, and I especially wonder how people learn about the actual costs of attending private colleges.
I wonder if students who do know that tuition, at least, will be covered will be more likely to aspire to college than students for whom the costs of college seem to be an inscrutable black box.
