Seizing on growing concerns over college affordability, California lawmakers are poised to propose what would be the most generous college aid plan in the nation, covering not just tuition but also living expenses, which have led to spiraling student debt, it was reported Monday.
The plan, to be formally rolled out by Assembly Democrats at a news conference Monday morning, would supplement California’s existing aid programs, with the aim of eradicating the need for student loans for nearly 400,000 students in the Cal State and University of California systems, the Los Angeles Times reported. It also would boost grants to community college students and give those attending them full time a tuition-free first year.
“Lower-income students … are able to many times, through our great programs in California, get help to pay for tuition. But they’re still graduating with a tremendous amount of debt,” Assemblyman Kevin McCarty, D- Sacramento, who is spearheading the plan, said in remarks reported by The Times. “The cost of living, the books, the transportation — that’s (what) we really need to tackle.”
