Eye On Education: Mass. Lawmaker Wants To Study 'Pay It Forward' Tuition System
BOSTON (CBS) – We all know parents and students are struggling with the soaring costs of college.
Now there's a new proposal to help students get an education without being swallowed up by debt.
It's called "Pay It Forward."
"In Massachusetts, education is paramount," says State Rep. Jeffrey Roy.
On Wednesday he will introduce a bill to study the pros and cons of the Pay It Forward model.
"Under this program it wouldn't cost you anything to go to college. It would essentially be free," he explains with air quotes.
College is only "free" while you're in school. After graduation, students wouldn't be thousands of dollars in debt, but they will still have to pay for their education.
The exact amount would depend on the graduates' incomes. A small percentage would be taken out of their paychecks over the next 20 or 30 years.
Allie Cerone, a University of Massacahusetts Boston freshman, says the idea has promise.
"It's like taxes. They are going to take it, so you can expect and plan to not have that money. It'd be easier, opposed to as soon as I graduate I'm expected to start paying my debt and I don't know if I'm going to be able to," Cerone said.
Oregon and Washington are considering similar proposals. If approved in Massachusetts it would likely cost millions to kick start the program at state colleges and universities.
But Roy says it would eventually pay for itself.
"It's becoming next to impossible to finance an education on today's wages. If we could get a system like this in place it will be a fix for the long term."