Hillary Clinton’s College Plan Makes the Wrong Assumptions

, Spencer Irvine, Leave a comment

image screenshot from MSNBC video of Clinton Foundation segment

image screenshot from MSNBC video of Clinton Foundation segment

George Leef at Forbes makes the case of why the Clinton campaign is misunderstanding the issues with higher education at colleges:

The key objective of Clinton’s plan is to get more Americans into college, especially those from lower income families, and have more of them graduate. Two mistaken beliefs are intertwined there: that the cost of attending is the main reason why many students from non-wealthy families don’t graduate from college and that getting a college degree would be very beneficial to them.

First, while it is true that in general the cost of going to college has been escalating, there remain many options that don’t cost much at all. Community colleges are an inexpensive way for students to begin their education—two years that usually provide them with marketable skills or get them half way toward a four-year degree. Pell grants cover most of the expense.