Department of Education

 FREE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Fiscal Year 2024 Budget Proposal

CONTENTS

Page

Free Community College.......................................................................................................... 1

Advancing Affordability for Students......................................................................................... 3

Accelerated Success: Free Community College ...................................................................... 5
FREE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

1

Free Community College

(Proposed legislation)

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2024 Authorization: To be determined

Mandatory Budget Authority:1

Period of 2023 Appropriation 2024 Request Change 

$0 $90,000,000 +$90,000,000

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Early in the 20th century, the expansion of access to free public high school in the United States 

set a new global standard. Direct public investment in our children’s future propelled the 

Nation’s economic growth and enhanced our global competitiveness. Now, mounting evidence 

suggests that 13 years of school is no longer sufficient to prepare our students for success in 

today’s economy. The number of jobs requiring some level of education beyond high school is 

expected to grow more rapidly in the next decade than those that do not. Global 

competitiveness and our students’ economic security require that we provide every student the 

opportunity to obtain a postsecondary degree or certificate.

The Administration’s Free Community College proposal will offer two years of free community 

college to students, including DREAMers. The COVID-19 crisis has led to a steep college 

enrollment decline, particularly for low-income students and students of color. From 2019 to

2021, public 2-year community colleges saw a 16.5 percent decline in enrollment. But even 

before the COVID-19 pandemic, cost was a barrier to attending and completing community 

college for many Americans. 

Free Community College is a proposed mandatory grant program for States, territories, and 

Tribes that would ensure eligible first-time students and workers wanting to reskill can enroll in a 

community college to earn a degree or credential for free. Students enrolled in a degree or 

certificate program, attending at least half-time, and making satisfactory academic progress will 

have tuition and fees eliminated. Students can use the benefit over three years and, if 

circumstances warrant, up to four years, with the recognition that many students’ lives and other 

responsibilities can make full-time enrollment difficult. 

This proposal would create a new partnership with States to help them waive tuition for 

students, while promoting key reforms to help more students complete at least two years of 

college and help meet the demands of a growing global economy. To participate in the program, 

a State, Territory, or Tribe must waive tuition and fees at community colleges on a first dollar 

basis for eligible students. The Federal government will provide at least 75 percent of the cost, 

but can use relevant state financial aid toward the match, and 90 percent for Tribes. States and 

Tribes must invest the remaining share of the cost. States receiving a grant must promote 

1 The request is $90.0 billion over 10 years in mandatory budget authority to support Free Community College.
FREE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Free Community College

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alignment between their secondary, 2-year, and 4-year postsecondary education systems. 

States must also pursue promising and evidence-based institutional reforms at community 

colleges to improve student outcomes. States may retain a small portion of their allocation for 

state-wide quality improvements that help advance program completion and improve student 

outcomes. States must commit to conducting an equity audit on State higher education 

financing, strengthening longitudinal data systems, including the integration of data from 2-year 

and 4-year institutions with postsecondary employment and wage data, and maintaining state 

fiscal support for higher education.

FY 2024 BUDGET REQUEST

For fiscal year 2024, the Administration requests $90.0 billion over 10 years in mandatory 

budget authority to support Free Community College. In 2024, the Administration, States, and 

institutions would begin preparing to implement this new mandatory program, with the program 

officially launching the next year. Funds are provided to create a new partnership with States, 

territories, and Tribes to make two years of community college free for eligible first-time students 

and workers wanting to reskill. The program would operate as a first-dollar program, in order to 

allow students to use Pell Grants and other Federal, State, and institutional aid to help them 

cover expenses beyond tuition and fees. Students can use the benefit over three years and, if 

circumstances warrant, up to four years, recognizing that many students' lives and other 

responsibilities can make full-time enrollment difficult. 

PROGRAM PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

This section presents selected program performance information, including, for example, GPRA 

goals, objectives, measures, and performance targets and data; and an assessment of the 

progress made toward achieving program results. Achievement of results is based on the 

resources requested in fiscal year 2024 and future years, as well as the resources and efforts 

invested by those served by this program. Free Community College has not yet been funded 

and therefore program performance information is not available.
FREE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

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Advancing Affordability for Students

(Proposed legislation)

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2024 Authorization: To be determined

Mandatory Budget Authority:1

Period of 2023 Appropriation 2024 Request Change 

$0 $30,000,000 +$30,000,000

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and 

Universities (TCCUs), and Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) play a unique role in creating and 

advancing educational and economic opportunities for many of our nation’s first-generation, lowincome, and underrepresented students. Their role is essential to building our economy and 

strengthening the American middle class. Yet costs continue to be a barrier to attending and 

completing college for many of the students these institutions serve. The Administration’s 

Advancing Affordability for Students program will make a historic investment in students being 

able to access and complete their education at an HBCU, TCCU, or MSI. Specifically, it will 

provide two years of subsidized tuition for students from families earning less than $125,000 

enrolled in a participating 4-year HBCU, TCCU, or MSI. Institutions will receive an annual grant 

based on the cost of reducing tuition and fees and the number of eligible students. This 

investment, along with the Administration’s other affordability and completion proposals, will 

encourage more students to successfully complete a bachelor’s degree by enrolling as new 

students (direct pathways) or transferring from community college (transfer pathways).

Public and private, non-profit 4-year institutions can participate in this program. To be eligible, 

an institution must meet the statutory definition of an HBCU, TCCU, or MSI type and must be

designated by the Secretary as such. An eligible institution would also need to serve a

significant share of Pell students (at least 35 percent share of enrollment) and commit to 

maintaining or adopting evidence-based institutional reforms designed to improve student 

outcomes. 

Eligible students are those who are enrolled at an eligible HBCU, TCCU, or MSI on at least a 

half-time basis, who maintain satisfactory academic progress, and who have an annual family 

income below $125,000, including DREAMers. 

FY 2024 BUDGET REQUEST

For fiscal year 2024, the Administration requests $30.0 billion over 10 years in mandatory 

budget authority to support Advancing Affordability for Students. In 2024, the Department would 

1 The request is $30.0 billion over 10 years in mandatory budget authority to support Advancing Affordability for 

Students.
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Accelerated Success: Free Community College

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work with institutions to begin preparing to implement this new mandatory program, with the 

program officially launching the next year. Funds are provided to eligible 4-year HBCUs, 

TCCUs, or MSIs to provide two years of subsidized tuition up to $4,500 per year for students 

from families earning less than $125,000. The program would operate as a first-dollar program, 

in order to allow students to maximize use of Pell Grants and other Federal, State, and 

institutional aid for necessary expenses beyond tuition and fees.

PROGRAM PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

This section presents selected program performance information, including, for example, GPRA 

goals, objectives, measures, and performance targets and data; and an assessment of the 

progress made toward achieving program results. Achievement of results is based on the 

resources requested in fiscal year 2024 and future years, as well as the resources and efforts 

invested by those served by this program. Advancing Affordability for Students has not yet been 

funded and therefore program performance information is not available.
FREE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

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Accelerated Success: Free Community College

(Proposed legislation)

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2024 Authorization: To be determined

Budget Authority:

2023 Appropriation 2024 Request Change

$0 $500,000 +$500,000

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Promoting a free community college education is critical in helping to minimize the financial 

barriers to postsecondary education, facilitating the acquisition of essential skills and 

credentials, and creating new pathways to affordable 4-year degree programs. The Bipartisan 

Infrastructure Law, the CHIPS and Science Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act have created 

new demands for workers with critical skills in sectors such as manufacturing, infrastructure, 

and clean energy. Community colleges are equipped to meet this demand, serving as engines 

of economic development and connecting workers to high-quality jobs that improve economic 

mobility, meet future workforce needs, and improve the nation’s global competitiveness.

The Administration’s Accelerated Success: Free Community College discretionary grant 

program would allow grantees to offer up to two years of free community college to eligible 

students, including DREAMers, enrolled in eligible programs. The Accelerated Success: Free 

Community College program would complement the Administration’s mandatory free community 

college proposal by providing funding to quickly scale-up high-quality programs – for example, 

existing programs with demonstrated success that can be expanded immediately – or to support 

new and in-demand programs. Funding from this program would also assist community colleges 

in replicating programs with demonstrated success as States work to implement the StateFederal partnership for free community college. 

This proposal would enable first-time students and workers wanting to reskill to enroll in a highquality community college program to earn a degree or credential for free. Students enrolled in 

an eligible degree or certificate program, attending at least half-time, and making satisfactory 

academic progress would pay zero tuition and fees.

FY 2024 BUDGET REQUEST

For fiscal year 2024, the Administration requests $500 million for a new discretionary 

Accelerated Success: Free Community College program. This investment is part of the 

President’s commitment to expand access to affordable postsecondary education, laying the 

groundwork for innovation and inclusive economic growth for all Americans. 

The program would make competitive awards to community colleges, alone or in consortia, or to 

State systems of community colleges to enable institutions to offer eligible high-quality programs 
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tuition free for eligible students. The program would operate as a first-dollar program, in order to 

allow students to maximize use of Pell Grants and other Federal, State, and institutional aid for 

necessary expenses beyond tuition and fees. 

Programs must be offered by a community college, eligible for Federal student aid, and either 

(1) are fully articulated and provide for 100 percent, guaranteed credit transfer to State four-year 

baccalaureate institutions or (2) offer high-quality credit bearing career preparation for indemand industries that meet benchmarks for wages and employment, particularly those in 

sectors such as manufacturing, infrastructure, and clean energy that we see growing as a result 

of new demands created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the CHIPS and Science Act, and 

the Inflation Reduction Act. Institutions must commit to maintaining current investments in 

participating programs and reducing tuition to zero for participating students.

Participating institutions may partner with 4-year institutions to ensure full articulation of 2- and 

4-year programs. Participating institutions also must commit to maintaining or adopting 

evidence-based institutional reforms designed to improve student outcomes, such as intensive 

career advising, high-impact tutoring, and meaningful recognition of prior learning to accelerate 

credential or degree attainment across identified career paths. Grantees also would create a 

common data system for measuring programmatic outcomes, including submission to the 

Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System of data on non-credit and credit coursework 

attainment, retention, completion, job placement, and wages.

Grantees could use up to 10 percent of their awards to support program development, data 

collection, and evaluation. At least 90 percent of funds would be used to eliminate tuition and 

fees for participating students in eligible programs. The Department estimates that the request 

would support awards to as many as 100 community colleges or consortia that would provide 

free community college to an estimated 90,000 students annually.

PROGRAM OUTPUT MEASURES 

(dollars in thousands)

Output Measures 2024

Amount for grants $499,500

Number of new awards 100

Average grant size $4,995

Amount reserved for institutional activities $49,950

Amount used to offset tuition and fees $449,550

Peer review of new award applications

$500
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PROGRAM PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

Performance Measures

This section presents selected program performance information, including, for example, 

program goals, objectives, measures, and performance targets and data; and an assessment of 

the progress made toward achieving program results. Achievement of program results is based 

on the cumulative effect of the Federal resources provided for the program as well as the 

resources and efforts invested by those served by the program. Accelerated Success: Free 

Community College has not yet been funded and therefore program performance information is 

not available.

The Department will establish performance measures to assess the impact of the activities that 

receive support under this program. Such measures could include, for example, the numbers or 

percentages of student participants completing eligible programs, advancing to 4-year degree 

programs, and obtaining 4-year degrees, as well as completion, employment, and earnings data 

for career preparation programs.