Of course he does. Everything should be free, right?

Paul Fain of Inside Higher Ed reports.

Independent Take on Free

U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders made it official on Thursday by announcing his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination. The Vermont Independent, who is 73, used part of his informal, 10-minute news conference on Capitol Hill to pitch a previously announced proposal for two free years of public college.

What did he say?

“In my state of Vermont and throughout this country, young people — bright, young, able kids — cannot afford to go to college. And others are leaving school deeply in debt,” he said during the news conference. “In Germany and countries around the world, they understand that you tap the intellectual capabilities of young people. You make college tuition in public universities and public colleges free. That’s my view as well.”

The proposal

​Sanders in February called for a “revolution” in how higher education is funded. His plan is for the federal government to award $18 billion per year in matching grants to states over and above existing federal aid.

This would allow public colleges to cut tuition rates by 55 percent, he said. As a result, Sanders wants to offer two free years of college to students at all public institutions, rather than just at community colleges, as President Obama has proposed.

Tough love for the academy

State disinvestment in public higher education has helped drive up tuition prices, Sanders said in an interview last month with HuffPost Live. But that’s not the whole story, he said.