College affordability and student loan debt have been big issues on the campaign trail this year, especially in the Democratic presidential primaries. Bernie Sanders has called for free public college. Hillary Clinton proposes debt-free college. But the challenge is much deeper than simply covering tuition.

A 2015 survey of college students found 34 percent of first-year students and 38 percent of seniors said economic concerns affected their academic performance. A survey by Ohio State researchers found 60 percent of students said they were concerned they wouldn't be able to continue paying for school.

How Would The Candidates Tackle It?
Bernie Sanders has a plan for free public college. He would eliminate all tuition and fees at public colleges and universities. Of course that is only part of the cost of college. But taking away that expense would free up the money students receive from federal needs-based Pell Grants and other financial aid, helping to pay other expenses, such as room and board, transportation and books. Critics argue this plan is hugely expensive, would help rich families who don't need it and also would require the cooperation of state governments, which fund public higher education.

Hillary Clinton puts a lot of emphasis on bringing down the cost of college, so that students wouldn't have to go into debt to pay for it. She does want students to work ten hours a week and would have families that can afford it pay for tuition. But for those who can't the idea is that they wouldn't incur any debt for college, and then their Pell Grants could be used to pay for living expenses, much like the Sanders plan.
The big difference between Sanders and Clinton is he gets rid of tuition and fees and her plan is more needs-based. But again, critics say it would still be too expensive - and may be too convoluted.

Donald Trump's website doesn't address higher ed in its issues or positions sections. An adviser of his, Sam Clovis, was quoted in a piece in Inside Higher Ed saying Trump's campaign would fight and not endorse the Clinton and Sanders plans and would reject President Obama's push for free community college. But it's not entirely clear whether Clovis speaks for the campaign, and a spokesperson for the Trump campaign didn't respond to a request for assistance with this story. - Read More at the NPR

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