CALIFORNIA – U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) announced May 28 that he co-sponsored a bill along with Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and other lawmakers to make public colleges and universities tuition free for 95% of students.
According to Padilla, nearly 4 million student borrowers live in California, owing an average of $38,168 and a total of $148.6 billion in student loan debt.
“We need bold, proactive solutions to make college more affordable — not the Trump Administration’s short-sighted plan to eradicate student financial aid and put higher education out of reach for millions of American families,” said Padilla.
President Donald Trump’s fiscal year 2026 budget proposes to cut funding for the Department of Education by $12 billion. The administration calls on institutions to use their own funds to provide support to students.
Padilla said the College for All Act would help millions of working families shoulder the financial burden of paying for their children’s college.
Federal government provides 100% of tuition and fees the first year
The College for All Act would guarantee tuition-free community college and public trade school for all students.
The bill also allows students in single households earning $150,000 or less and married households earning $300,000 or less to attend public four-year colleges and universities tuition-free.
In the first year, the federal government would provide 100% of the national average tuition and fees for each eligible student in participating states.
Over a five-year period, the federal share slightly decreases as the state share increases to no more than 20%.
The bill also proposes doubling the maximum Pell grant, tripling TRIO funding, doubling GEAR UP funding, and allocating $10 billion to improve outcomes and equity at public colleges, along with increased funding for HBCUs, Tribal Colleges and Minority-Serving Institutions.
Several colleges in the U.S. already provide free tuition
Padilla noted that since this legislation was first introduced 10 years ago, several colleges and universities in America have provided free tuition for working class and middle-class students.
These include every state college in New Mexico, the State University of New York, the University of Texas, the University of Wisconsin, and Arkansas State University.
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