Obama Proposes Making Community College Free for Many Students

President Barack Obama proposed making two years of community college education free for students who maintain academic standards.

Obama said in a video published on Facebook that anyone “who is willing to work for it” would be eligible for a tuition waiver at a two-year institution under his plan.

Students must attend at least half time, maintain a grade point average of 2.5 and make regular progress toward completing a degree, according to a White House fact sheet released Thursday. Forty percent of students in college attend a two-year institution, according to the fact sheet.

Higher education “is the key to success for our kids in the 20th century,” Obama says in the video.

Obama didn’t specify how he would fund the program. A person briefed on the proposal said the program would cost $5 billion and require congressional approval.

Obama is traveling to a community college in Knoxville, Tennessee, on Friday to outline the the plan. A Tennessee program provides free tuition for community and technical college for high school graduates in the state.