“Free College:” Here to Stay?

Free college, or “Promise” programs—a model of student aid that covers at least full tuition costs for a subset of a given state’s residents—have received a significant boost in the past few years. A central question has been whether the model benefits from more consistent political support over time as compared to other forms of financial aid or other higher education spending. This report aims to reflect about how promise programs have fared in retaining political support over time, and what we can learn from past experience.