Obama proposed free community college for two years; a kind of leveling of the educational field. The proposal states that the government would provide 75% of the funding and the final 25% of tuition would come from the state in which the college resides. Only students who attend at least half-time and have an average GPA of 2.5 may qualify.

While the proposal may seem great, the proposal undermines the Pell grant. 60% of students receive the grant and if qualified, may receive the full amount of over $5,000 a year.

This proposal would cost the country around $60 billion over 10 years. The government is already $18 trillion in debt, so what’s a small $60 billion, right?

Also, it may encourage students to attend a 2-year community college instead of a 4-year university.

On the bright side, however, the first two years of college will be as universal as high school, it could save a possibly struggling college student over $4,000 in tuition, books, and housing, it could open up more job opportunities to those who could not afford college.

A much better proposal would be the creation of a universalized, tuition-free community college, and 4-year non-profit institution alike. Sadly, that was never an option.