Which 2016 Presidential Candidate Is Really For College Students?

The candidate you vote for should be worthy of your vote.

This is especially true for young voters: the decisions a President makes during a 4-year term can impact you beyond your college years and well into your career. In fact, just this week a man was arrested by US Marshals for not paying his student loan bill from 1987 because the federal government is using private debt collectors and to track down those who owe student loans. That’s why it’s so important to assess each candidate’s platform or views to figure out which candidate will encourage the government to support your education instead of profiting from it.

WayUp has put together this short college guide on the 2016 presidential candidates in the running so far. Take a look, research each candidate on your own, and then make your own decision on who will be the best candidate for your future.

DEMOCRATS

Hillary Clinton

Clinton may have raised eyebrows when she tweeted an unpaid internship back in August for campaign interns, but a big part of her platform is geared towards relieving the financial burden for students. Clinton’s “New College Compact,” a plan that will cost $350 billion over the next 10 years, is said to achieve two primary goals: to remove cost as a barrier to a great education and to ensure debt doesn’t hold anyone back.

The first goal, removing the cost of college, will be accomplished by encouraging the state and federal government to step up and absorb tuition fees. States who accept Clinton’s proposal for “no-loan tuition for four-year colleges and universities” will be rewarded through grants from the federal government. Clinton also plans on upholding Obama’s legacy and continuing the free tuition plan at community colleges.

The second goal, relieving student debt, will be accomplished by allowing students to refinance their loans at lower interest rates. Students struggling with student debt will also never have to pay more than 10% of their income when paying back student loans.

Bernie Sanders

When I say college, you say free. Bernie Sanders’ “College for All Act” aims to make all public colleges and university completely free for students. While many are skeptical that this is nothing more than a utopian idea, Bernie argues that countries with far less wealth than the U.S. like France, Germany, and Brazil, offer free tuition or low-cost tuition. Under Sanders’ plan, the federal government would pay 67% of the cost each year while state governments would stomach the remaining 33%.

REPUBLICANS*

*Based on the candidates in the running so far, Trump and Cruz are in the lead, though Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio are the two Republican candidates with a full-fledged higher education plan. For the purposes of this article, we will outline the two frontrunners’ campaigns. If the standings change, we will update this review accordingly.

Donald Trump

Though known for his bold, controversial statements, Trump stands with many other candidates in his views on student loans, asserting in an interview with thehill.com: “That’s probably one of the only things the government shouldn’t make money off.”  While he hasn’t laid out any specific plan to tackle the cost of student tuition or student loan debt, his comment seems to weigh in favor of relieving college students of this financial burden.

Ted Cruz

Ted Cruz may identify with the plight of college graduates, having just paid off his $100k student loan bill, but he also voted down Senator Warren’s  Student Emergency Loan Refinancing Act, which would have allowed students to refinance their loans to interest rates lower than 4%. Let’s hope that it was simply holes in Warren’s plan – and not Cruz’s sentiments towards resolving college student debt — that led to his decision.

Which of these candidates is really for college students? That’s up to you to decide. Keep reading, researching, and following the campaigns of each leading candidate — then when the time comes, get out there and make your most educated vote!