Causes.com
| 4.27.22
New Mexico to Offer Free Higher Education to Most State Residents - Should More States Do the Same?
Should more states implement free college tuition programs?
What’s the story?
- New Mexico has approved one of the most wide-reaching free college initiatives in the country, offering tuition-free higher education to nearly all state residents regardless of financial, immigration, or criminal record status.
- The law takes effect in July and is part of a growing number of state-sponsored programs to make higher education more affordable.
What does the law do
- New Mexico Senate Bill 140, known as the New Mexico Opportunity Scholarship Act, allocates almost 1 percent of the state’s budget to covering tuition and fees for public universities, community colleges, career training certificates, and tribal colleges.
- Virtually any state resident who enrolls at least part-time is eligible, including prison inmates, immigrants regardless of immigration status, and Native Americans from tribal nations whose boundaries overlap with NM.
- The law also allows most other scholarships and sources of financial aid to be stacked, meaning students can use those funds for other essentials such as transportation, books, child care, or room and board — instead of worrying about covering tuition.
What they’re saying
- Proponents say the law will help students who have paused or foregone higher education due to economic reasons, especially with the pandemic, and will benefit the state’s economy long-term.
- More people are needed for jobs like truck drivers, electricians, nurses, and other essential roles, training and technical education for which would all be available at the variety of institutions covered by the law.
- They also believe that with the astronomical costs of higher education throughout the country, the program will help make NM universities more competitive and keep students from seeking their education out-of-state.
- The law has been criticized for not including income caps for who can qualify. Concerns have also been raised over the long-term funding plan to support the program beyond its first year.
- Most of the funding for the first year of the program comes from $75 million in leftover federal pandemic relief that was provided to the state — a source that may not be available in future years.
- While New Mexico is expected to have a substantial budget surplus in the coming year due to a boom in the state’s oil and gas development, the budget is sensitive to declines in energy prices and production. That dynamic caused New Mexico to tap into K-12 education funding to balance the state’s budget five years ago, which could happen again on a larger scale given the elevated spending from the program.
The big picture
- Total undergrad enrollment in the U.S. fell by 5.1% from 2019 to 2021, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. And according to the Education Data Initiative, college enrollment peaked in 2010, and has since declined by 9.6 percent.
- There have been growing appeals in recent years for lowering tuition costs or making college free, as well as calls for forgiving student loan debt and extending the repayment pause that has been in effect for over two years.
- However, a federal push for free community college as part of President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better legislation has failed to gain traction in Congress so far. So states like New Mexico are implementing their own programs, and nearly 30 states currently have initiatives to cover tuition expenses for students.
What’s next
- The measure allocates $75 million for the program during the 2023 fiscal year, $63 million of which comes from pandemic relief funds allocated to the state by the federal government. After the first year, lawmakers will need to draw funds from a new source to continue.
- Maine will offer free tuition for community college students beginning this summer, the University of Texas public university system created a $300 million endowment in February expanding tuition assistance, and California also recently expanded some free tuition opportunities to Native American students and may be approving more scholarships for some California State system and University of California system students this summer.
What do you think?
Should more states implement free college programs like New Mexico’s?
-Casey Dawson and Eric Revell
(Photo: Wikimedia / Allen S.)
The Latest
-
The Long Arc: Taking Action in Times of Change“Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle.” Martin Luther King Jr. Today in read more... Advocacy -
Thousands Displaced as Climate Change Fuels Wildfire Catastrophe in Los AngelesIt's been a week of unprecedented destruction in Los Angeles. So far the Palisades, Eaton and other fires have burned 35,000 read more... Environment -
Puberty, Privacy, and PolicyOn December 11, the Montana Supreme Court temporarily blocked SB99 , a law that sought to ban gender-affirming care for read more... Families -
Women Are Shaping This Election — Why Is the Media Missing It?As we reflect on the media coverage of this election season, it’s clear that mainstream outlets have zeroed in on the usual read more... Elections
Climate & Consumption
Health & Hunger
Politics & Policy
Safety & Security
Proper education is the key to America's future. In some other countries the best educational programs are run directly by the government and students have to compete fir admission. The private educational institutions is where students that cannot get to public institutions go.
Most of the industrialized world learned the value of academic education and quality hand-on apprenticeship programs for the trades from the early efforts of the US to educate our youth. Developing quality educational programs stopped in this country while they continued to be expanded everywhere else.
Now we have the political theater of book burning, forbidden topics packaged as 'freedom' in Florida which is a way to ensure that the populace remains uninformed and more easily be controlled by the wealthy elite who needs compliant minions to enhance their wealth.
A very concerning thought provoking conclusion was presented by a very conservative judge who was considered by several prior Republican administration for a seat in the Supreme Court. He said that the Republicans know that Biden won the election, that they know that the abortion rights they are trying to take away are beyond reasonable and that other potical stunts they are authoring such as the 'don't say gay' law or banning math books because they represent critical race theory are wrong - and the RNC which is sponsoring all this knows that what they are doing is wrong. He concluded that all of these efforts serve the singular purpose of keeping attention from what they are doing to corrupt the national vote by removing the safeguards and positions held by responsible Republicans that impeded the trumps attempts to overturn the 2020 elections.
He said that the 2020 attempt to control the election was a dry run. All of the bull crap Republican laws and actions are to distract the public and news media from what they are quietly doing to ensure that the same tactics which were not successful in 2020 cannot stop them from successfully using these same tactics in 2024 for the trump or his annoited successor.
A few steps closer to converting our treasured democracy into a fulll fledged kleptocratic autocracy with a neo-oligarchy dominated by former Republicsn Cartel oligarchs.
State Colleges and Universities should be free to state residents. The only question is what the residency requirements should be. Also they should accept all in state applications as long as the student maintains passing grades.
No, on so many levels. To begin with, this program is not free. The taxpayers pay for it; 2: The funding, more specifically, $75 million, is leftover federal money allocated for pandemic relief. This unused money should be required to be returned. And to think that this administration is proposing another Covid relief check fully knowing that there is still billions of dollars lost or stolen and billions more allocated, but not spent; 3: Eligible people include immigrants regardless of status which means illegal; 4: This program still does not address the core problem which is the cost of education.
I am not sure if it should be free or the cost based on income. Someone has to pay for this. Right now, the middle class is stressed to the max with no end in sight. I believe students need to be invested both physically and financially.
Yes! Every state should provide Free Higher Education. It should be evident that the student is not paying; the taxpayers are paying: personal, business, etc. There might be other funding mechanisms; for example, in NYS the Lottery Commission gave a portion of the Lottery Proceeds to Education (maybe it still does, IDK), or the Federal government can contribute.
A well educated populace is so important to a city, state and country in innumerable ways. Free Education is one of the best investments we as a country can make in its citizenry. Plus a better educated person typically has a much better salary.
It would be proper to have programs to help those who struggled with high school academics. That should include vocational programs.
Specific details need to be addressed, like
•What are the residency requirements?
•Can states offer reciprocal programs so, say, New Yorkers can go to college in Pennsylvania or Vermont and vice versa?
•What constitutes maintaining minimal grades. Well monitored supplemental programs may also be required.
Etc.
Free or affordable higher education is a worthy aspiration. However I am concerned that college is not for everyone, nor should it be; skilled trades and service are also needed and should be valued. My mom always said that in a society where doctorates are valued over plumbers, both the theories and the pipes will leak. My other major concerns are related to sustainability - ongoing funding rather than one time surpluses will be needed; and there also needs to be institutional accountability. No raising tuition without demonstrated benefits in student outcomes and staff living wages including adjunct faculty and support staff; too many schools have treated student loans as an unconditional income stream.
OK, I see several of you think this NM idea of paying for even illegal immigants education is a good idea, some even wish every state did this.
Come May 23rd this year Comrade dear leader Beiging Biden plans on removing Tille 42 off the books which essessially means that on that very same day will start a flood of illegal aliens to this country like we have never seen before. Since he has been in office 2 1/2 million illegal aliens have crosses and let in. Another 750,000 get aways have happen in that same time frame from some 128 different countries.
But to grant you wish, it is expected in the next 6 months some one million people will cross in to this country per month. There were already 20-25 million people in before inaguation Day, and with that 2 1/2 million that have come in since then, and with the 750,000 get aways, and another 24 million more coming in the next two years under this administration.There are only 50 states and that means thousands of new illegal imigrants comming across the border of each state to settle down plus those that already arrived. So the 50 states will be paying for an additional 50 million people to go to college at your expense. So are you willion to say pay twice as much taxes as from last year to pay for these illegal aliens?
Maybe I don't know enough about how college works, as I couldn't afford to go & didn't quality for any loans or grants, but if college were to be free, how would the staff be paid?
If tax payers are going to foot the bill for the tools young people think they need to get a job, diplomas, then we should foot the bill for the tools others need for their jobs...trucks, tractors, power tools, etc. All this leads to is lazy citizens that think they are entitled to everything. If people want to be taxed at 65% like Sweden and Norway for free stuff, then they should move there. Having the Government provide everything makes you more like China.
jiWitmK, you are right education can be a help to get a better job, but I am not sure it is the requirement of the Un-United States to pay for the education of every illegal alien that comes to here.
Most kids are so wacked out they pick majors like basket weaving 1 and 2 and wonder why no employer will hire them. Others take courses like underwater brain surgury but will only live in that town in the middle of Kansas that is 100 miles from the nearest town over 50,000 people and it is farther than that to the nearest body of water.
Kids, nowdays want to start a job even without education past high school and demand to start at $15 per hour. Even in our little town of 9,000 people in the entire county/parish McDonalds starts at $12 per hour with no experience.
Because they mostly don't have a real education, learning more about Critical Race Theroy or other WOKE issues, they didn't do so well in math. They demand to start at $15 per hour. Minium wage is $7.35 per hour.
Here is a simple lesson for them. Using that minium wage of $7.35 a gallon of milk cost about $3.50 per gallon. You had worked about 30 minutes to buy that gallon of milk. Do you think that gallon of milk will cost just $3.50 per gallon when wage is now $15 per hour. Answer is a simple NO. You will work 1/2 hour/30 minutes for that gallon of milk which means you will pay $7.00 per gallon for that milk. This is everything else including clothes, gas, rent, car prices, etc.The only way you get ahead of the game is everyone not motivated to get some education will stay at say $7.50 per hour and you will have gone back to school and received some real education like math, business, etc and now are more valuable to the business you work at. They get an opening for a shift supervisor and you get that slot/job. Your pay now goes to say $10 per hour and after 6 months training you will get $12 per hour. That gallon of milk is $3.50 per hour and you now see that a little work and some education will put you ahead of your co-workers.
Another thought, since you have no expiernce in the real world, you could join the military, serve your country and then get some training at some really neat jobs for free. A private E-1 lowest rank starts out at $11.25 per hour.
This is New Mexico's money, and though it looks like a solid bill for the liberal crowd, the fact that the state is totally WOKE and now want to pay for illegal aliens to come to this country (illegally) and then be rewarded with a free college education seems stupid to make the taxpayers pay for this.
I personally hope that one million illegal aliens as Title 42 is removed enter New Mexico, who know 2-3 million may want to take advantage of this offer.
Higher education is key to the country's future and economy. A vast majority of stable, decent-paying jobs in America now require some college degree, so it is quite illogical that college would be so expensive at all. We as taxpayers already pay for each other's elementary, middle, and high school education already, but we don't complain about it because not only can we handle the tax burden, but we know it is good for our communities and country as a whole. Such an idea needs to be applied to college education as well. We can offset the costs by reducing our over-bloated military spending instead of raising taxes if conservatives are so concerned about taxation.
YES- and cancel student debt!!
in Norway, for example, all education is free. they also only pay about $300 dollars a year for healthcare-no matter what illness.
This should be a Federal Standard, but if Congress cannot get it in gear then the states must. This will be good for the economy of the state, the industry and productivity in the state, and good for the people of the state! Not all states shoudl follow, just the ones that do not want to be left behind. Perhaps is enough follow they will shame our Congress into actually taking action for the good of the country!
Yes yes yes! Also a push into trade schools. We need more electricians, brick layers, plumbers, carpenters, etc.
Education should not put anyone into a life long debt to which there is no escape. Especially when no job on the market currently support a LIVABLE wage yet alone a wage that would help pay off college debt.
Education should not be so expensive; that is won reason why we are so behind other countries in education
Some of the dumbness walking the halls of congress is exhibit A that free college is a must 😜
Great idea fee college. That is what I am talking about...
Uninformed and uneducated people are more likely to be manipulated into mistreating their fellow man.
In other countries this assistance is a given.
But....Missouri, my state won't be in-line.
YES! YES! YES! The only path for progress and peace is through an excellent education. Although I'm not originally from New Mexico, I did spend some of my younger years attending school in that state. Love it just as much as I love my own state of South Dakota. Sadly, we have worthless politicians who have been bought off by the "Gods of Privilege" here who only care about their power, control, and finances and to hell with the common good.
Yes. Government must do more than just promote increased corporate profits and incarcerate more and more people. Government's primary job should be to make the lives of its citizens BETTER... Lately--ever since Trump became president, it seems government is working overtime to make most people lives much worse... So, I applaud this action by New Mexico.
Education is the foundation of a better tomorrow for everyone.
An educated populace is more likely to stay employed, pay (more) taxes, and not collect welfare. In the big picture, a free education is a win/win -- the cost of the free education is MORE than paid for in collecting higher taxes and lower welfare payments.