Under the new program, the federal government would chip in three-quarters of the costs, while states would cover the balance. Students would be required to attend classes at least half-time and maintain at least a 2.5 GPA, or roughly a C+ average. Meanwhile, community colleges would have to "strengthen their programs and increase the number of students who graduate," according to a White House fact sheet.

No sooner was the proposal announced than the knives came out. One Republican aid argued that Obama shouldn’t "federalize" a policy that begins at the state level, an odd complaint in a system that has long supported such programs, from the GI Bill to Pell Grants. Others suggested that the plan would never make it through the Republican House and Senate, although Obama noted that his program was modeled after one designed by Tennessee Republican Governor Bill Haslam.

Some liberals even joined in the criticism. Because the program is not limited to low-income students, middle-income and even wealthy community-college students could benefit. Donald Heller, dean of Michigan State University's College of Education, told Politico, "Should we really be giving those kids free tuition when their families can pay?" And the Institute for College Access and Success called the proposal "a Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing," arguing that "making tuition free for all students regardless of their income is a missed opportunity to focus resources on the students who need aid the most."

This concern about targeting resources is understandable, but the genius of the Obama proposal lies in its universality. In Tennessee, almost 90 percent of graduating high school seniors have signed up for its new universal community-college program (though officials expect that the actual number of students who will eventually participate will be substantially lower).

These numbers are encouraging for two reasons. First, it suggests that some low-income students may be lured by the simplicity of "free." Although many disadvantaged students may have already attended tuition-free in the past—the maximum Pell Grant amount exceeds the average tuition at community colleges—navigating complicated financial-aid forms has proven notoriously difficult for struggling families. Introducing a bright word that everyone can understand—"free"—is a big step forward and appears to encourage participation.

Second, the high interest suggests some middle-class and wealthy families whose children would have otherwise attended four-year colleges may be giving two-year institutions a second look. While some argue that free tuition for upper- and middle-class students is a waste of resources, in fact it is in everyone’s interest to ensure that community colleges are socioeconomically integrated. We have known since Brown v. Board of Education that separate educational institutions for black and white—or for poor and rich—are rarely equal.