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2016 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
Last updated on: 5/20/2016 1:16:05 PM PST

Should Any Public Colleges or Universities Be Tuition-Free?



Pro
Clinton
Clinton

Stein
Stein

Con
Johnson
Johnson

Trump
Trump

Not Clear or Not Found





Pro (Yes)

Pro
Hillary Clinton
Hillary Clinton
Democrat

"Students should never have to borrow to pay for tuition, books, and fees to attend a four-year public college in their state under the New College Compact. Pell Grants are not included in the calculation of no-debt-tuition, so Pell recipients will be able to use their grants fully for living expenses. Students at community college will receive free tuition."

Source: 2016 Hillary for America, "College," hillaryclinton.com (accessed May 10, 2016)

[Editor's Note: On July 6, 2016, Clinton's campaign updated her position on tuition-free college in an article by Kat Kane titled, "How Much Would Hillary Clinton's Debt-Free College Plan Save You (Even If You've Already Graduated)?," available at hillaryclinton.com: "Under her plan, every student will have the opportunity to graduate from an in-state four-year public college or university without taking on any student debt. Families with incomes up to $125,000 will pay no tuition at in-state public colleges and universities, which covers more than 80 percent of families. The plan will be phased in over five years, but families earning $85,000 or less will immediately be able to attend an in-state college or university without paying any tuition."]
Pro
Jill Stein
Jill Stein
Green

"Abolish student debt to free a generation of Americans from debt servitude. Guarantee tuition-free, world-class public education from pre-school through university. End high stakes testing and public school privatization."

Source: Jill 2016, "Power to the People Plan," jill2016.com (accessed May 20, 2016)
Con (No)

Con
Gary Johnson
Gary Johnson
Libertarian

"I would not believe that colleges or universities should be free. So from a federal standpoint… they would be too expensive from a federal standpoint. If states want to do that of course, that's their prerogative. But should they be free? No, they shouldn't be free… In my opinion the high cost of college tuition has everything to do with guaranteed student loans. I believe that if guaranteed government student loans were to have never existed then college tuition today would be half of what it is."

Source: Phone Interview with ProCon.org, June 14, 2016
Con
Donald Trump
Donald Trump
Republican

"Well, there's no such thing as free education, because you know that ultimately somebody else is going to be paying for that education. And, so, as a, I can't believe I'm saying this as a politician, I'm not a politician, but as somebody that's now in politics, in the political world, I'd love to say 'free education!' but, again, if somebody gets free education, all of the people paying their rates are going to go up… You take a look at how college costs are rising and there's no reason for it. They are letting them go up and the problem is the students are getting crushed because, again, the government just keeps giving them more and more money and the students give them to the college. So it's not fair. We're going to really look into that because we have to keep it down. We have to keep it down. Some of the colleges do a good job. Many of them, I don't think they even care what the costs are because they get so much money. We're going to do something for the students. We're going to have something with extensions and lower interest rates and a lot of good things."

Source: Fox News Insider, "Trump: 'There's No Such Thing as Free Education,' Bernie," insider.foxnews.com, Apr. 3, 2016



FORMER CANDIDATES
(Candidates who have withdrawn or who no longer meet our criteria appear below in black and white and in alphabetical order.)



Pro
Sanders
Sanders

Con
Not Clear or Not Found
Bush
Bush
Carson
Carson
Christie
Christie
Cruz
Cruz
Fiorina
Fiorina
Graham
Graham
Huckabee
Huckabee
Kasich
Kasich
O'Malley
O'Malley
Paul
Paul
Rubio
Rubio





Pro (Yes)

Pro
Bernie Sanders
Bernie Sanders
Democrat

"In a highly competitive global economy, we need the best-educated workforce in the world. It is insane and counter-productive to the best interests of our country and our future, that hundreds of thousands of bright young people cannot afford to go to college, and that millions of others leave school with a mountain of debt that burdens them for decades. That shortsighted path to the future must end.

As President, Bernie Sanders will fight to make sure that every American who studies hard in school can go to college regardless of how much money their parents make and without going deeply into debt...

Finland, Norway, Sweden and many other countries around the world... offer free college to all of their citizens. If other countries can take this action, so can the United States of America.

In fact, it's what many of our colleges and universities used to do. The University of California system offered free tuition at its schools until the 1980s. In 1965, average tuition at a four-year public university was just $243 and many of the best colleges – including the City University of New York – did not charge any tuition at all. The Sanders plan would make tuition free at public colleges and universities throughout the country."

Source: Bernie 2016, "It's Time to Make College Tuition Free and Debt Free," berniesanders.com (accessed May 20, 2016)
Con (No)



None Found
Jeb Bush
Jeb Bush
Republican

Withdrew on Feb. 20, 2016; no additional research done as of that date to determine candidate's position on this question.





None Found
Ben Carson
Ben Carson
Republican

Withdrew on Mar. 4, 2016; no additional research done as of that date to determine candidate's position on this question.





None Found
Chris Christie
Chris Christie
Republican

Withdrew on Feb. 10, 2016; no additional research done as of that date to determine candidate's position on this question.





None Found
Ted Cruz
Ted Cruz
Republican

Withdrew on May 3, 2016; no additional research done as of that date to determine candidate's position on this question.





None Found
Carly Fiorina
Carly Fiorina
Republican

Withdrew on Feb. 10, 2016; no additional research done as of that date to determine candidate's position on this question.





None Found
Lindsey Graham
Lindsey Graham
Republican

Withdrew on Dec. 21, 2015; no additional research done as of that date to determine candidate's position on this question.





None Found
Mike Huckabee
Mike Huckabee
Republican

Withdrew on Feb. 1, 2016; no additional research done as of that date to determine candidate's position on this question.





None Found
John Kasich
John Kasich
Republican

Withdrew on May 4, 2016; no additional research done as of that date to determine candidate's position on this question.





None Found
Martin O'Malley
Martin O'Malley
Democrat

Withdrew on Feb. 1, 2016; no additional research done as of that date to determine candidate's position on this question.





None Found
Rand Paul
Rand Paul
Republican

Withdrew on Feb. 3, 2016; no additional research done as of that date to determine candidate's position on this question.





None Found
Marco Rubio
Marco Rubio
Republican

Withdrew on Mar. 15, 2016; no additional research done as of that date to determine candidate's position on this question.








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