This could get very expensive.

The Washington Post reports.

Never finished college? Washington state lawmakers want to help.

Lawmakers in the state of Washington want to give college dropouts a chance to finish their degree for free, a novel proposal that could have far-reaching implications for boosting national completion rates.

Washington’s Free to Finish College bill, which is wending its way through the legislature with bipartisan support, calls for the state to cover tuition for residents who are 15 credits short of an associates or bachelor’s degree. Those folks must be pursuing their first college degree and must have dropped out of college at least three years ago to qualify for scholarships to finish up at a Washington state college or university.

“If you’re a student who has had to interrupt your studies because you couldn’t afford to keep going… and you never got your degree, neither the state nor you as a student are getting the benefit of that investment you’ve made,” said Rep. Drew Hansen (D-Bainbridge), one of the bill’s sponsors. “We want these students to finish up their degree, get a better job, so they can provide better for their family.”