2024 presidential candidates on college affordability

2024 presidential candidates on the issues

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Presidential election
Presidential candidates
Republican nomination

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This page includes statements from the 2024 presidential candidates on college affordability. These statements were compiled from each candidate's official campaign website, editorials, speeches, and debates.

The candidates featured on this page were the noteworthy Democratic and Republican candidates in the 2024 presidential election. Only candidates who addressed this page's issue on their campaign website, in public statements, or in public speeches have a quote featured on this page. See something we missed? Email us. The active noteworthy presidential candidates as of November 5, 2025, were:

Kamala Harris (D)
Donald Trump (R)
Chase Oliver (L)
Jill Stein (G)

College affordability

Democratic candidates

Joe Biden

In a campaign speech Biden said, "Despite actions of the Supreme Court and MAGA Republicans, we’ve relieved student debt for 3.6 million Americans, who now have a chance to buy their first home and pay their debts and get out of debt." ^{[source, as of 2023-12-12]}

Kamala D. Harris

Harris' campaign website said, "She’ll continue working to end the unreasonable burden of student loan debt and fight to make higher education more affordable, so that college can be a ticket to the middle class. To date, Vice President Harris has helped deliver the largest investment in public education in American history, provide nearly $170 billion in student debt relief for almost five million borrowers, and deliver record investments in HBCUs, Tribal Colleges, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, and other minority-serving institutions. She helped more students afford college by increasing the maximum Pell Grant award by $900—the largest increase in more than a decade—and invested in community colleges." ^{[source, as of 2024-09-09]}

Dean Phillips

Phillips' campaign website said, "Every American with a desire for higher education, apprenticeships or certifications should be able to access those opportunities to better prepare for sustainable employment and the jobs of the future. And while he supports targeted relief for federal student debt holders with the greatest need—including those pursuing in-demand professions, such as teaching, nursing, and law enforcement—Dean believes we must treat the underlying problem of college affordability rather than engage in short-term actions to treat the symptoms." ^{[source, as of 2023-12-19]}

Marianne Williamson

Williamson's campaign website provided the following policy, "Affordable education: Offer free tuition to public colleges including community colleges, four-year colleges and Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Offer free trade school tuition and to work in occupations such as carpenter, plumber, bus mechanic, or electrician. Those trade schools will coordinate with organized apprenticeship programs to give students real-world experience." ^{[source, as of 2023-12-19]}

Republican candidates

Ron DeSantis

DeSantis' campaign website said, "DeSantis will no longer incentivize useless degrees and courses with blanket government loans. To that end, he will make universities, not taxpayers, responsible for the loans their students accrue. He will also seek to allow student loans to be discharged through bankruptcy like any other loan." ^{[source, as of 2023-12-19]}

Vivek Ramaswamy

Ramaswamy's campaign website listed the following policy, "Incentivize trade schools over hollow college degrees (sorry, gender studies majors)." ^{[source, as of 2023-12-21]}