Ivy Tech Supports Plan For Free Community College

Ivy Tech Community College President Tom Snyder says President’s Obama’s proposal to make the first two years of community college free for certain students is a game changer. Could Indiana one day offer free tuition for students? 

Obama’s proposal for the federal government to pick up most of the tab for a two-year college degree is based on a model created by Tennessee and supported by Snyder.

The Ivy Tech president says if students can obtain a degree without spending anything other than living expenses, it would close the gaps in postsecondary attainment. Forty other states outrank Indiana in college degrees.

“I think something like the Obama proposal or the Tennessee Promise is going to start to spread around this country because this is a game changer.”

Under Obama's plan, the federal government would cover all but 25 percent of a student's tuition for school. That would be on the state's shoulders.

At Ivy Tech a two-year associate degree costs around $8,000 and takes two-to-five years to complete, depending if a student is enrolled full-time or part-time. Uncle Sam would cover $6,000 of the cost and leave Indiana with $2,000 to chip in.

But will a plan like this spread to Indiana? Time will tell.

Gov. Mike Pence has made increasing resources for workforce development a priority -- a push that requires more certificates and degrees.

So far there has been no real discussions in the state about a free community college model. If Indiana lawmakers would consider it, Snyder says, Ivy Tech could handle the surge in enrollment. 

”We have been able to demonstrate that we doubled capacity in the last ten years," Snyder said. "And we think we could handle a doubling of the enrollment in the ten ten years by not only taking advantage of the facilities that are on stream or already existing but through online programs.”

Contact WFYI reporter Eric Weddle at eweddle@wfyi.org or call (317) 614-0470. Follow on Twitter: @ericweddle.