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Rubio Campaign Press Release - Here's How We Modernize Our Antiquated, Broken Higher Education System

August 12, 2015

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Hillary Clinton wants to reform higher education using the same failed approach that has been tried in Washington for decades: she wants to raise taxes and pour more money into the current outdated system rather than take the initiative to modernize it.

Our higher education system is antiquated and broken in multiple ways. It is too expensive, too time consuming, and too inflexible for busy single parents and working adults. At a time when higher education is a requirement for most high-paying jobs, too many Americans do not have the time or money to earn a degree, and too many degrees do not lead to jobs.

Allowing every American the opportunity to earn an affordable degree that equips them for a modern high-paying job will be a top priority of my presidency. We cannot restore the American Dream if we fail in this task. So what is Hillary Clinton's solution to this generation-defining challenge? To raise taxes and pump $350 billion into the current outdated system without making any fundamental changes to increase accessibility, competition, or choice.

In fact, not only would Hillary Clinton's plan fail to solve the underlying problems, it would actually make the underlying problems worse. As history clearly shows, whenever government increases higher education spending, schools happily raise tuition since they know the federal government will foot the bill. One study found the impact of increased government funding on rising tuition rates was as high as 65 percent. So Hillary Clinton's proposal will likely cost taxpayers even more than its initial daunting price tag.

I will take a different approach. Rather than spend more to maintain the current flawed system, I will fix higher education by promoting choice, competition, greater access, and lower costs. I have proposed specific reforms that will achieve these goals throughout my time in the Senate, and I will enact them as president.

Chief among these reforms is my plan to fix accreditation, which is the process by which institutions become certified to provide degrees. This process is currently controlled by a cartel of established colleges and universities, which use their power to block competitors from emerging. This is why flexible online degrees often cost just as much as traditional on-campus education: because brick-and-mortar schools don't want to compete with more accessible options.

To read my full plan, please click here. 

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Marco Rubio, Rubio Campaign Press Release - Here's How We Modernize Our Antiquated, Broken Higher Education System Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/313819

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