A Promise Worth Keeping: An Updated Equity-Driven Framework for Free College Programs

This report updates the findings from the 2018 report on free college programs. This time around The Education Trust reviewed 23 existing statewide policies with our updated framework, which considers whether a program:

• Covers the full cost of going to college – beyond tuition and fees – for four or more years
• Helps students from low-income backgrounds defray their living expenses
• Is accessible to adult, returning and part-time students, , as well as all undocumented and incarcerated students
• Attaches strings that discourage certain student groups from applying
• Converts to a loan