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Originally Posted by dc_dux
I think Obama's "rhetoric" on higher ed is that his proposed $4000/yr tax credit would make community college accessible to all and four-year state institutions more affordable....so your example of $100,000 increasing to $150,000 cost over four years might just be a bit high.
A more realistic case would put the cost of a state uni at more like $10,000/yr....increasing to maybe $12,500 over four years....so Obama's tax credit would go from covering 40 percent of the cost to a third. And I dont know how you can dispute that it would make a community college education virtually free.
I agree that his plan would probably not be as beneficial to a middle class kid who wants to go to Harvard or Williams instead of Univ. of Illinois or Univ. of Delaware.
Personally, I like the tax credit idea more than additional loan support because it takes the middlemen (lending institutions) out of the mix. And for kids from low income families, the opportunity for a community college or state uni education might not otherwise be available.
Although Obama also proposes federally backed student loan reform that is less clear to me.
BTW, I think McCains higher ed plan has something in it about reducing costs by cutting research earmarks to higher ed (cutting earmarks seems to be his "solution" for everything). WTF?
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Community College is already very accessible. In fact, it is one of the wonders of this country. I went to community college working on a Starbucks salary. You really can't get cheaper than community college. Even at the whopping cost of $20/unit, you would have to be fiscally irresponsible not to be able to afford to go to cc. A full-time load of 12 units is a $240 tuition bill for the semester. Add some used books or library books and you're looking a real bargain. Plus, many cc profesoors are from nearby universities. My cc years were filled with profs from UCLA, USC, and Pepperdine (I know these are shitty schools but at least it's something). So in essence, you are getting a quality education from decent profs (if you're on the east coast then even better) for a cheap price.
2-4 years of community college also reduces your over-all tuition because you only have two years of university left. CC also has the benefit of being a vocational school as well so students can go for 2 years and get an AA or certificate in a real skill while the rest can go for liberal arts.
The money may be better spent on transition programs or at the high school, intermediary years. Programs for getting people ready for college and returning students.