In Maryland, Gov. Larry Hogan has signed a bill that will make community college free for qualifying families. The state will provide scholarships of up to $5,000 to students from families earning less than $125,000 a year, the AP reports.

Maryland will join California, Kentucky, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island and Tennessee in offering statewide tuition-free programs, Ashley Smith notes in Inside Higher Ed.

In the Winter 2016 issue of EdNext, Andrew Kelly and Sara Goldrick-Rab debated “Should Community College Be Free?

Goldrick-Rab’s article is “The Economy Needs More Workers with Associate Degrees.”

Kelly’s contribution is “Tuition is Not the Main Obstacle to Student Success.”

— Education Next

Last updated May 10, 2018