PRESIDENT BIDEN ANNOUNCES FREE COLLEGE PLAN

President Biden announced the American Families Plan which includes proposals for higher ed that will make Community College free and increase the maximum Pell Grant. The American Families Plans will invest in making college more affordable for low- and middle-income students, including students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), and institutions such as Hispanic-serving institutions, Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving institutions, and other minority-serving institutions (MSIs). Among the notable higher education elements the proposal includes funding to:

• Offer two years of free community college to all Americans, including DREAMers.
• Provide up to approximately $1,400 in additional assistance to low-income students by increasing the Pell Grant award.
• Increase college retention and completion rates.
• Provide two years of subsidized tuition and expand programs in high-demand fields at HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs.
• Address teacher shortages, improve teacher preparation, and strengthen pipelines for teachers of color.