Tuition-free college has clear pros and clear cons, and both show up in the programs that already exist. The pros: it removes the tuition barrier, it measurably raises enrollment (Tennessee’s two-year attendance is estimated to have risen an average of 40% under Tennessee Promise), and last-dollar designs make it affordable for states. The cons: “free” usually means tuition only, leaving fees and living costs of up to $14,000 a year under New York’s Excelsior Scholarship; programs come with credit, GPA and residency strings; and free tuition does nothing by itself about low completion rates.
Below are the pros and cons in detail, followed by where tuition-free college already exists, who pays and what the middle-ground options look like.
Pros: What Tuition-Free College Gets Right
- No tuition bill to weigh against enrolling. Last-dollar scholarships pay all tuition and fees that exceed a student’s other aid, such as the Pell Grant and state scholarships, so the decision to attend is no longer a decision about tuition.
- More students enroll. Tennessee Promise, which began with its first cohort in fall 2015, is estimated to have increased attendance at the state’s two-year institutions by an average of 40%.
- It is affordable for states when designed as last-dollar aid. Because federal and state grants pay first, the state fills only the remaining gap. That is why Oregon, Rhode Island and New York created programs modelled on Tennessee’s.
- It can be paired with support. Tennessee Promise is a scholarship and mentorship program, descended from a county non-profit, KnoxAchieves, that combined last-dollar aid with mentoring.
- Real savings for middle-income families. Under New York’s Excelsior Scholarship, an eligible student saves between $4,000 and $6,500 a year in tuition, depending on whether they attend a community college or a four-year school.
- It reaches four-year colleges too. On April 11, 2017, New York became the first state to make four-year public colleges tuition-free for residents under an income cap, at SUNY and CUNY.
Cons: What Tuition-Free College Leaves Out
- Tuition is not the whole cost. Excelsior covers only tuition; fees, room and board can cost up to $14,000 a year, more than double the tuition saving.
- Strings attached. Excelsior students must complete 30 credits a year and meet a GPA requirement, and after graduating must live and work in New York for as many years as they received the scholarship. Critics have called that requirement unfair and costly to recipients.
- Enrollment is not graduation. As of 2012, only 25.9% of CUNY students and 48.9% of SUNY students finished a bachelor’s degree within four years, the pace the scholarship demands. Free tuition does not change that on its own.
- Last-dollar aid skips the poorest students. Where Pell Grants already cover tuition, a last-dollar program adds nothing for the lowest-income students, whose real barrier is living costs, while the state’s money goes to families above the Pell line.
- Income caps and eligibility rules. Excelsior’s cap was $100,000 in 2017, rising to $110,000 in 2018 and $125,000 in 2019, so families just above the line get nothing.
- Complexity. Some in the free-college movement argue that programs like Excelsior fall into the same trap as existing scholarships: complicated rules that trap or exclude recipients.
Where Tuition-Free College Already Exists
- Tennessee Promise. Created by legislation in May 2014 as part of the “Drive to 55” goal (55% of Tennesseans with a degree or certificate by 2025), it covers tuition and fees beyond other aid at the state’s 13 community colleges and 27 colleges of applied technology, with mentoring.
- New York Excelsior Scholarship. Since 2017, tuition-free study at SUNY and CUNY for residents under the income cap, with an estimated 200,000 students eligible once fully phased in.
- Oregon and Rhode Island. Both created programs modelled on Tennessee’s.
Who Pays, and How Much
State budgets pay for state programs, and the last-dollar design keeps the bill down because Pell Grants and existing scholarships are applied first. Families still pay fees, books and living costs, and recipients pay in obligations: mentoring and service requirements in Tennessee, and the post-graduation residency requirement in New York. A nationwide version, America’s College Promise, was proposed on the Tennessee model but the state programs remain the ones in operation.
What the Middle-Ground Options Are
- Community college only. Tennessee’s promise covers two-year institutions, the cheapest part of the system.
- Income-capped four-year programs. New York’s model limits free tuition to families under a set income.
- First-dollar or living-cost aid. Money for housing, books and transport helps the lowest-income students more than paying tuition that Pell already covers.
- Completion support. Mentoring and advising address the graduation gap that tuition relief does not.
Conclusion
Tuition-free college is not hypothetical: it exists in several states, it raises enrollment, and it is affordable when designed as last-dollar aid. Its weaknesses are just as concrete: it leaves living costs untouched, it comes with conditions, and it does not fix completion. The right verdict depends on which of those you weigh most.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Which states have tuition-free college? Tennessee (community colleges and colleges of applied technology) and New York (SUNY and CUNY under an income cap), with Oregon and Rhode Island running similar programs.
- Does tuition-free college cover room and board? Generally not. Excelsior covers tuition only.
- What is the income limit for New York’s Excelsior Scholarship? It was set at $100,000 in 2017 and rose to $125,000 by 2019.