Is free college the answer?

A decade ago, few presidential hopefuls had staked out a position on whether to make college free or provide student loan forgiveness. But with student debt hovering at a staggering $1.5 trillion, tuition costs rising at eight times the rate of wages, and college degrees a virtual prerequisite for many decently paid jobs, the problem has taken on a new urgency. And it’s not just political candidates. States, cities and universities themselves are taking a stab at addressing college affordability. The result is a patchwork of experiments taking place across the country to test models as varied as income-share agreements, debt forgiveness and tuition-free colleges.

MPR News host Kerri Miller spoke with two experts to talk about the proposals the Democratic candidates have suggested and analyze their pros and cons. What are the economic realities of fixing our broken system?

Guests:

• Jillian Berman, student debt reporter at MarketWatch

• Kevin Carey, vice president of education policy at New America

To listen to the full conversation you can use the audio player above.

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