Could free college reduce poverty?

The effect would be negligible. Think on the margin. Who would be most affected by making the college free? It's students who are smart enough to qualify for college, too poor to pay for college out of pocket, but well enough not to be eligible for existing financial aid programs. read more

Free college may or may not reduce poverty, overall; but it will definitely reduce the creation of poverty among people who started out in the middle or lower-middle classes. read more

LANSING—High school students in some of Michigan’s most impoverished communities may soon have access to free college tuition. “Education is the closest thing we have to a silver bullet when it comes to escaping the cycle of poverty,” said Brandy Johnson, executive director of Michigan College Access Network, a key group responsible for the program. read more

One Portland, Oregon, program resulted in a 25 percent increase in earnings, a 21 percent increase in employment, and a 22 percent reduction of time spent on welfare (all compared with a control group that didn't get the services). read more