When the Community College of Philadelphia announced it was launching a tuition-free program for incoming students, the emphasis was on low-income, Pell Grant-eligible families. When Harper College in suburban Chicago made its tuition-free announcement a week earlier, it didn't have an income limit but focused on academic requirements, community service and attendance. And unlike some programs that require participating students to be near the top of their classes, Harper's included many more conditions.
Those programs also differed from others in requirements and funding that have emerged over the years or more recently as "free community college."
"It's very interesting that there's absolutely no cookie-cutter way to do this," said Brett Hoover, co-founder of Cities of Promise and volunteer at New Haven Promise.
The free community college idea isn't new, but it has gained more attention since President Obama's proposal to launch a national tuition-free initiative. But many colleges, cities and states aren't waiting for Congress to adopt the president's proposal. They're launching their own programs.
Read more at Inside Higher Ed: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/04/08/free-community-college-has-different-meanings-different-places