In advance of the democratic debate today, we’re looking at the National Association of Student Financial Aid and Administrator’s candidate cheat-sheet for stances on higher education. Though we’ll cover just a few of the top candidates here, check out the full article for a full list of stances and candidates, including Republicans and those who are no longer running. 

Joe Biden: Former Vice President Biden’s stance on higher education mostly focuses on debt reduction and forgiveness. In addition to advocating for two years of free community college, he also has vouched to minimize the amount of interest on loans. Late in the summer he suggested that students should not have to repay loans until they were making over $30,000. He also wants to double Pell Grant amounts and allow for loan forgiveness for those in public service. He has revised his stance from previous years. 

Pete Buttigieg: Mayor Buttigieg is not a proponent of tuition-free higher education for all, but he has supported low or no cost higher education for low-income students. He has also supported funding for HBCU’s, debt forgiveness via public service and for “low-quality” education institutions, and the government completing FAFSA on students’ behalf. He proposes funding for 80% of families, expansions of the Pell Grant program, and more accessible loan forgiveness. 

Bernie Sanders: Senator Sanders’ famous College for All Act would provide free education at public higher education institutions. Sanders advocates for the forgiveness of all existing debt via a tax on Wall Street, which he says would generate $2 trillion in a decade. He also supports expansion of work-study programs to cover anyone who could need them. His plans cover all public universities, trade schools, and community colleges. 

Elizabeth Warren: Senator Warren, like Senator Sanders, supports free public education at state schools. She also advocates for loan forgiveness, but based on household income and need, as her bill would cancel up to $50,000 in debt for households under $100,000. This would be funded by her “Ultra-Millionaire Tax.” She has vouched for expansion of Pell Grant programs, called on colleges to be more responsible for graduating students of color, and stated that the government should ban funding for-profit schools. 

Amy Klobuchar: As with Mayor Buttigieg, Senator Klobuchar does not support free four-year tuition. She does, however, support free public community college and technical/trade schools. She advocates strongly for expansions of apprenticeships in the country, stating that students in apprenticeships should receive tuition forgiveness. Like other candidates, she vouches for expansions of the Pell Grant program and federal loan refinancing. 

Read the full article with all candidates here.