What Americans think about who deserves tuition-free college

Tuition-free college has gotten a lot of momentum of late.

Front-runners in the Democratic presidential field – including Bernie Sanders^[1], Elizabeth Warren^[2] and Joe Biden^[3] – have all come out in support of federally funded tuition-free college.

And it isn’t just Democrats. Nineteen states^[4] have passed tuition-free college policies, including Republican strongholds Tennessee, Arkansas and Kentucky. So have nearly 300 cities or counties^[5].

But there is still^[6] debate^[7] about who should be eligible^[8]. Should there be an income cap, for instance, so that only poor or middle-income families are eligible? Should there be a minimum high school GPA requirement?

In my recently published survey^[9], I found that Americans view tuition-free college more positively when it’s open to everyone – compared to when it is reserved for families who make US$50,000 or less. I also found that the public is more likely to support tuition-free college when it includes a 2.0 minimum high school GPA requirement, or basically a C average.

How the public views tuition-free college matters because colleges are widely seen as engines of upward economic mobility^[10]. Yet, college remains out of reach^[11] for many American families^[12], especially for^[13] people of color^[14] and the working class^[15].

Policymakers and scholars often differ on the best way to design tuition-free college. Some argue that fairness^[16] is the most important consideration. Others stress the need for government to be able pay for the program^[17].

I believe that my research, along with other recent polling^[18], is the first to dig into what the American voters actually think about different versions of tuition-free college. And my project, in particular, is the first to speculate as to why.

In my study, I surveyed a nationally representative sample of 2,500 Americans in 2017 regarding tuition-free college. Overall, the majority of Republicans (65%) and Democrats/independents (74%) support the idea of tuition-free college. But when asked to consider different versions of tuition-free college, people’s views start to shift.

For instance, when a family income limit is included, respondents were 3.3 percentage points less likely to view the policy as fair, compared to tuition-free college that is open to all students regardless of family income. However, if a 2.0 minimum high school GPA is required to be eligible for tuition-free college, respondents were 6.5 percentage points more likely to view the policy as fair, when compared to tuition-free college that is open to all students regardless of high school GPA.

So why are there these differences in the level of support? I argue that people are evaluating the target population. Research shows that policymakers and the public are more likely to support^[19] benefits to groups that are powerful and considered deserving.

Making tuition-free college available to everyone may be more politically beneficial^[20] to politicians catering to middle-class and high-income voters – two groups that are more likely to vote^[21]. But when tuition-free college is made available for everyone, it is harder to pay for^[22] and less efficient^[23] because when tuition-free college is universal, it gives money to families that could have afforded college anyway. For instance, in Oregon, more than 60%^[24] of the $10.9 million in 2016 for the Oregon Promise – the state’s free community college program – went to students in the highest two income brackets, while students in the lowest two income brackets only used about 17% of the funds. The middle income bracket used about 23% of the funds.

Merit-based policies may be more popular because students who make at least a C average in high school are seen as as more deserving. However, by supporting a C average minimum threshold, these policies also shut out many students who need help the most^[25].

The critical challenge for policymakers, as I see it, is: How do you design a tuition-free college plan that is perceived as fair, that helps those who need it most and that government can actually afford?

[Expertise in your inbox. Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter and get a digest of academic takes on today’s news, every day.^[26]]

References

1. ^{^} Bernie Sanders (berniesanders.com)
2. ^{^} Elizabeth Warren (elizabethwarren.com)
3. ^{^} Joe Biden (joebiden.com)
4. ^{^} Nineteen states (tcf.org)
5. ^{^} nearly 300 cities or counties (doi.org)
6. ^{^} still (www.educationdive.com)
7. ^{^} debate (edtrust.org)
8. ^{^} who should be eligible (tcf.org)
9. ^{^} recently published survey (doi.org)
10. ^{^} engines of upward economic mobility (www.equality-of-opportunity.org)
11. ^{^} remains out of reach (pellinstitute.org)
12. ^{^} for many American families (www.usnews.com)
13. ^{^} especially for (www.educationdive.com)
14. ^{^} people of color (www.americanprogress.org)
15. ^{^} the working class (www.aacu.org)
16. ^{^} fairness (edtrust.org)
17. ^{^} pay for the program (tcf.org)
18. ^{^} other recent polling (www.freecollegenow.org)
19. ^{^} more likely to support (doi.org)
20. ^{^} more politically beneficial (tcf.org)
21. ^{^} more likely to vote (www.politico.com)
22. ^{^} harder to pay for (onlinelibrary.wiley.com)
23. ^{^} less efficient (www.oregon.gov)
24. ^{^} more than 60% (www.oregon.gov)
25. ^{^} shut out many students who need help the most (www.brookings.edu)
26. ^{^} Expertise in your inbox. Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter and get a digest of academic takes on today’s news, every day. (theconversation.com)