America's College Promise was a proposal by the

Barack Obama administration Barack Obama's tenure as the 44th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2009, and ended on January 20, 2017. Obama, a Democrat from Illinois, took office following his victory over Republican nomine ...

to offer all students two free years of

community college A community college is a type of undergraduate higher education institution, generally leading to an associate degree, certificate, or diploma. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an open enr ...

tuition. It was based on the

Tennessee Promise The Tennessee Promise, administered by the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation, is a last-dollar scholarship and mentorship program available for Tennessee's high school graduates to attend two years of secondary education. This program began ...

, a similar program for the state of Tennessee. State level programs, like the Tennessee Promise, have faced critique for their ability to fill tangible educational benefits. The bill was referred to committee in July 2015, where it languished. Later that year, Obama announced the College Promise Advisory Board, an independent coalition of American leaders in community college, political, foundation, and business sectors to advocate for the proposal. A criticism of the plan is its lack of focus on existing

student loan debt Student debt refers to the debt incurred by an individual to pay for education-related expenses. This debt is most commonly assumed to pay for tertiary education, such as university. The amount loaned or the loan agreement is often referred to as ...

. Senator

Tammy Baldwin Tammy Suzanne Green Baldwin (born February 11, 1962) is an American politician and lawyer serving since 2013 as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States senator from Wisconsin. A member of the Democratic Party (United Stat ...

and Representative Andy Levin re-introduced the bill in July 2019. Tennessee was the first to offer free community college. To be eligible for the Tennessee Promise, you must meet the requirements of a Tennessee Promise partnering organization, apply senior year and meet application deadlines, attend all team meetings and college orientation, begin in the Fall, maintain at least twelve hours per semester, attend for consecutive semesters, complete FAFSA, maintain a 2.0 GPA, and complete at least eight hours of community service per semester.

References

Obama administration initiatives Community colleges in the United States Education policy in the United States {{US-politics-stub