When you come from a family of educators like I do, you know the power of learning to open new horizons and opportunities. As our world and our economy change, access to ongoing higher education is increasingly necessary to thrive. But for too many Americans that opportunity is out of reach.

For many Americans, college has been a pathway to the middle class. Yet today, it costs students and their families more than ever. The federal Pell Grant used to cover nearly 80 percent of the cost of tuition, fees, and room and board; today, it covers just 29 percent.1 The average graduate with a bachelor’s degree starts their life with around $30,000 of debt.2

And more than 40 percent of students don’t even make it to graduation.3 Students who drop out with debt but no degree are significantly more likely to struggle with loan repayment, and may even default.4

In America, opportunities for success shouldn’t be limited to those with a college degree. As important as it is to make college affordable, it must also be possible to land a well-paying job and launch a career without going to college. As our labor market evolves, well-paying jobs and careers requiring only a high school diploma are harder to find. We need to ensure that workers have access to the training and education that will make them—and our economy—successful.

Our ability to compete internationally, to innovate and grow our economy, to expand our middle class, and to make sure children have a better life than their parents will be shaped by the education we make available to Americans. This plan will:

PROVIDE FREE COLLEGE FOR THOSE WHO NEED IT.

Pete will make public tuition free for 80% of American families, including all families earning up to $100,000 and many middle-income families with multiple children. He will also provide substantial tuition subsidies for students from families earning up to $150,000 and require that states improve affordability for all students.

ADD $120 BILLION TO THE PELL GRANT PROGRAM, INCLUDING INCREASING THE SIZE OF THE MAXIMUM PELL GRANT BY $1,000.

Pete will tie Pell Grants to inflation to keep up with rising tuition and living costs. This will ensure that after we've covered tuition for the lowest-income students, there is enough left over for basic necessities like housing and food. Pete will also guarantee funding for Pell Grants through mandatory entitlement spending.

INVEST AN ADDITIONAL $50 BILLION IN HBCUS, TRIBAL COLLEGES, AND MINORITY-SERVING INSTITUTIONS OVER THE NEXT DECADE.

In addition to supporting capital and instructional costs, funds may be used for need-based aid to reduce student debt burdens and to promote strategies that support student needs and promote college completion.

PROMOTE FAIRNESS FOR STUDENT-ATHLETES.

Pete will support regulation and legislation like California’s new bipartisan Fair Pay to Play Act, which ensures student-athletes can seek compensation for the use of their images, just like other college students, and engage agents to represent them in the marketplace.

Make student loans less burdensome and more affordable.

AUTOMATICALLY ENROLL STRUGGLING STUDENT BORROWERS IN AFFORDABLE, INCOME-DRIVEN REPAYMENT PLANS.

Student borrowers will be automatically enrolled when they fall behind on their payments or indicate they are struggling to repay their debt. Pete will also help all borrowers stay enrolled in income-driven plans. These loans will be cancelled, tax-free, after borrowers have been enrolled in the income-based plan for 20 years.

For too many Americans, the transition from education to the labor market is not working—especially for low-income Americans, Black and Latinx Americans, and other Americans of color. Most Americans pursue higher education to secure a good job, but millions emerge with debt and no degree. Disparities in completion rates are compounded by a labor market that leaves behind those without strong work experience and professional networks. Pete knows that as important as it is to make college affordable, it must also be possible to get a well-paying job and launch or advance a career in more ways than one.

As President, Pete will invest more than $50 billion in workforce development and lifelong learning. Local non-profits, unions, employers, and community colleges have created proven pathways for young and middle-age workers to enter into good jobs. In addition to increasing workplace protections and worker power through his New Rising Tide plan, Pete will invest federal dollars into these programs so that incomes can grow for all workers, whether or not they have a college degree. Specifically, he will:

PROVIDE $100 MILLION ANNUALLY IN SCALING LOCALLY-DRIVEN, PUBLIC-PRIVATE WORKFORCE PARTNERSHIPS THAT DELIVER RESULTS FOR LOCAL WORKERS AND BUSINESSES.

Pete will provide performance-driven grants in innovative regional workforce partnerships that build on proven practices. This includes support for local sector partnerships. Pete will also ensure these funds support the success of all workers through proven career pathway programs that integrate training with career services and other supportive services like child care, basic education, and counseling.9

FORM A PRESIDENTIAL “SKILLS CABINET” TO DEVELOP AND INVEST IN THE FIRST-EVER SKILLS STRATEGY FOR THE UNITED STATES.

To ensure we have the most skilled workforce as we move into the future, Pete’s Skills Cabinet will build on best practices from states and task the Secretaries of Labor, Education, and Commerce to work with industry and labor leaders to develop a five-year skills strategy that will guide an increase of $2 billion each year in targeted workforce programs.

When students enroll in college, they are making a life-altering decision. But many are forced to make those decisions in a black box—signing checks to pay for a college education that may or may not pay off. Unscrupulous for-profit colleges have taken advantage of students, particularly service members and veterans. And many students are unsafe on campus, with one in five women reporting sexual assault while in college10 and active-shooter situations ever more common.11 Students deserve better information and safe learning environments. To address these challenges, a Buttigieg administration will:

PROVIDE MORE RELEVANT INFORMATION TO STUDENTS ABOUT OUTCOMES AND COSTS.

All colleges receiving funds from the Department of Education will be required to provide students with clear, comprehensive, and accurate data on student debt, graduation rates, post-college earnings, and repayment outcomes. Pete’s administration will also make the data publicly available through a user-friendly website to help students make college choices based on value.

EMPOWER WOMEN TO REACH THEIR FULL POTENTIAL IN COLLEGE.

Pete will institute strong Title IX protections and support comprehensive, campus-based sexual violence prevention through Department of Education leadership and funding. Pete’s administration will also recognize that Title IX protects transgender students.

SUPPORT EFFORTS TO KEEP GUNS OFF COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY CAMPUSES.

Pete will enact extreme risk laws, also known as red flag laws, to empower loved ones, classmates, and educators to intervene to temporarily protect someone in crisis from accessing firearms. He will also support legislative efforts to restrict access to guns on educational campuses.