Want to get out of college with no debt? You will have to work on the side, and your parent will have to chip in, too, under a new plan just rolled out by state lawmakers.
The most expensive parts of the plan from Assembly Democrats are the "Degrees Not Debt" grants that would be added to the Cal Grants for lower and middle class students. They would come with an offer of a free first year of community college if you go full-time.
Students would also have to work 15 hours per week, and parents would have to put money into a college savings account.
The plan also counts on the middle-class scholarship fund, which Sacramento State senior Monique Graham says doesn't go far enough. "I would like to continue my education earning both a masters and a doctorate degree," Graham explained to lawmakers. "That can't afford to have students like me facing a future of debt instead of their dreams."
Governor Jerry Brown cuts the middle class scholarship in his budget proposal. The Assembly Democrats behind this new plan say they will fight that cut.