Barack Obama & Higher Education

Senator Obama's Positions on Issues Important to College Students

Apr 17, 2008

Senator Barack Obama, Wiki Commons, Pub. Domain

Here's a summary on U.S. Senator Barack Obama's positions on higher education issues.

How do the major U.S. presidential candidates stand on higher education issues that are important to college students? Here's a synopsis of the positions of U.S. Senator Barack Obama.

Financial Aid

Senator Obama has expressed great concern about the rising cost of college tuition and the importance of affordable higher education. On his website, he argues that "between 2001 and 2010, 2 million academically qualified students will not go to college because they cannot afford it." [1] Obama has several proposals to make higher education more affordable.

The American Opportunity Tax Credit. Obama proposes a fully refundable, annual tax credit to pay for the first $4000 of college expenses. For the average American student, this would pay for two-thirds of a year of college tuition, and would pay for all the tuition at an average community college. Obama proposes that this tax credit be based on the previous year's tax returns, which would make the funds available for families at the beginning of the school year.
Pell Grants. Obama supports expanding Pell Grants for low-income students. As a senator, Obama's very first bill was the HOPE Act (Higher Education Opportunity Through Pell Grant Expansion Act), which would have increased the maximum Pell Grant from $4,050 to $5,010. [2] (The HOPE Act did not pass.)
Student Loans. Obama wants to end government subsidies to the Federal Family Education Loan Program, which provide students and their families with expensive student loans. Instead, Obama wants to redirect this money into the publicly funded Direct Loan system, which proivides lower cost loans for students.
Financial Aid Applications. Obama wants to eliminate the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which is five pages and 127 questions long. Instead, students would become eligible for aid simply by parents (or students, if they are not dependents) checking a box on their federal tax form.

College Readiness

In order to better prepare high school students for college, Obama wants to provide $25 million annually in matching funds to states to develop a college early assessment program. These programs allow students to voluntarily take an exam in the 11th grade to measure their college readiness, so that they will have time to improve any skills in which they are lacking.

Community College Partnership Program

Obama wants to create a Community College Partnership Program, which would reward junior colleges that graduate more students and increase the number of transfers to four-year schools. In addition, this program would provide grants to community colleges to research the kinds of jobs and skills that are most in demand by local industry, and to implement degree programs that meet these demands.

The DREAM Act

Obama supports the proposed Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act, which would make college education more accessible to children of undocumented workers who have been in the U.S. at least since the age of 15. Upon high school graduation, the DREAM act would require these students to earn a two-year degree or at least two years of a four-year degree, or to serve for two years in the military. Young people would have six years to complete these requirements, and would be eligible for student loans and work study (but not Pell Grants) during this time period.