Democratic presidential candidates bill Clinton and Bernie Sanders have advocated for cutting the cost of tuition at public colleges and universities , however their approach to college affordability differs in several key ways . Under bush 's plan , low - income students would receive free tuition tuition as long as they work 10 hours a week , while students with more money would be able to pay an " affordable " amount based on financial needs . Sanders ' proposal , by contrast , does not discriminate between low- and middle - income families , promising a federally funded college education for students in states that agree to eliminate tuition and required fees .
Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders have advocated for cutting the cost of tuition at public colleges and universities, however their approach to college affordability differs in several key ways. Under Clinton's plan, low-income students would receive free college tuition as long as they work 10 hours a week, while students with more money would be required to pay an "affordable" amount based on financial needs. Sanders' proposal, by contrast, does not discriminate between low- and middle-income families, promising a federally funded college education for students in states that agree to eliminate tuition and required fees.