‘Free college’ programs are surging – but do they help neediest students?

A wave of free college' initiatives is sweeping the country but how best to support students financially remains controversial

Governor Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan announced proudly in August that 100,000 people had applied for her state's free college program, Michigan Reconnect.

The program, which covers community college tuition for Michigan residents aged 25 or older to get them to go back to school, was a gamechanger", Whitmer said, not only for the people enrolled in the program, but also for their families, small businesses and the state".