Listen To This Story
Earlier this week, President Joe Biden proposed a plan that included the idea of free community college across the country. There are more than 40,000 students enrolled in Nebraska’s eight community college systems and the president of one of them thinks the idea isn’t a big stretch.
Dr. Paul Illich is the president of Southeast Community College, with its main campus in Lincoln, but also serving other parts of the southeast Nebraska. He said community colleges are already very affordable, with the average yearly tuition around $3700. At his school, tuition makes up about 20% of the general fund budget and other funding sources, like property taxes and federal dollars make up the other portions. And most student are already getting help with tuition.
Southeast Community College President Dr. Paul Illich. (Photo from Southeast Community College)
“About 80% of our students receive some type of federal financial aid, whether that be PELL grants or loans,” Illich said. “You can see it as a continuum. We’re already very, very much involved in federal financial aid. This would just be an expansion of that.”
State aid makes up about 30% of community college revenue in Nebraska, and it’s likely that number would have to go up if the Biden plan goes through.
“My understanding of the plan that’s been talked about quite a bit would require for a state to eligible, they would have to pay for 25% percent of the tuition and the federal government would pick up 75%,” Illich said. “But again, that’s 25% of the 20% of your total budget, so it’s not most of your budget, it’s the smallest portion.”
Illich said the proposal is very complex and Southeast Community College and others in Nebraska are just now sorting through the details.
Lauren Dietrich provided additional reporting on this story.