Over the past twenty years, college costs have been increasing, making college tuition difficult for many to afford. According to IntellectualTakeout.org, college tuitions have risen over 66.7 percent since the early 1990s.  In order to lessen the financial burden of higher education for students, President Barack Obama has proposed a plan  called the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act that will make college tuition more affordable for thousands of young adults.  This plan will go in to action over the next few years, some parts starting as soon as July 2014.

First, a rating system for colleges will be constructed.  This system will rate each university by the amount of resources provided to students for college courses.  Additionally, schools will be evaluated on how well they assist students with career plans and debt management.

Secondly, the plan encourages colleges to make innovative changes without excessive costs, ultimately leaving students with less debt.  Although the current student loan program, Pay As You Earn, has helped students to manage their payments, Obama believes that more can be done to help students.

The third part of Obama’s plan is to help make higher education more obtainable.  By providing schools with larger Pell Grants, they will be able to assist more low-income students to broaden opportunities for them.  The estimated increase in value of the Pell grant is predicted over the next for years to rise from $5,550 to $5,975.

The new plan also calls for a higher investment in community colleges.  The Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act provides $2 billion throughout four years for community colleges nationwide.  In addition, institutions that strictly serve minorities will receive $2.55 billion to assist their schools.

President Obama hopes that his plan will be helpful to all college students learning in the United States.  This plan will be rejected or accepted in the near future.