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The first two years of college should be free at public schools and the federal and state governments should work together to change funding models and make it possible, according to a new paper by two UW-Madison professors.

The idea comes in response to what they call a deeply flawed system of awarding financial aid to fund college for most students.

“Talented students are forgoing college because of the costs, students who start college are unable to complete because they cannot afford to continue and even students who finish degrees may not realize all of the expected returns because of sizable debt burdens,” said the authors, Sara Goldrick-Rab and Nancy Kendall.

Still, they argue that college should be encouraged.

“College is not always a salve, nor should it be the only available salve, but a college degree continues to be a key ingredient for advancement in the U.S.,” they write.

To fix the system, they suggest rerouting about $80 billion in federal financial aid to public colleges and universities, including technical colleges, and using the money to cover tuition for every qualifying student.