If elected, Green Party gubernatorial candidate Rich Whitney doesn't want to reduce tuition costs for college students; he wants to cut them completely.

Whitney said if he is elected and can balance the state budget, he would work toward making higher education accessible to Illinois residents who meet the minimum requirements set by a university. He said making higher education free is not a new concept, as California began reducing or cutting tuition within its master plan for higher education 50 years ago.

He said free higher education is also common in European countries, including Denmark. He said free education means more students going to college and an end to student debt, taking serious costs from students. He said the average student faces about $20,000 in student loans after graduating.

"We're missing an op-portunity to improve the economy if we don't take this step," Whitney said.

He said the G.I. Bill after World War II proved that sending more people to college improves the economy.

"We should learn from that history and invest in human capital. and we'd have that much healthier of an economy," Whitney said.