Hillary Clinton has campaigned heavily on a college affordability plan designed to allow students to graduate without debt. | AP Photo Clinton dances closer to Sanders on free tuition She advocates free tuition for more than 80 percent of families sending their kids to public universities.

Hillary Clinton took a step closer Wednesday to Bernie Sanders on offering free tuition to public university students after meeting with him last month to resolve their differences over the Democratic Party platform.

Clinton adjusted her college affordability plan to ensure that families with incomes up to $125,000 would eventually pay no tuition for their children to attend public colleges and universities — meaning more than 80 percent of families would qualify for the benefit when it takes full effect in 2021, her campaign said. She also would impose a three-month moratorium on student loan payments, which would give borrowers a chance to consolidate their loans. Her campaign said she would also restore year-round Pell Grant funding — an issue Congress is considering.


Clinton and Sanders discussed their competing college cost plans last month during a meeting, and "strategized about how best to promote the issue in the party’s platform and ensure it remains a core issue in the general election debate," according to a Clinton aide.

Clinton has campaigned heavily on a college affordability plan designed to allow students to graduate without debt. But unlike Sanders, she stopped short of suggesting free tuition to all students at public colleges and universities. On the campaign trail, she sought to distinguish her plan from Sander's by saying hers wouldn't allow Donald Trump's children to go to college for free.

"Now, I'm a little different from those who say free college for everybody. I am not in favor of making college free for Donald Trump's kids. I am in favor of making college free for your grandson by having no debt tuition," Clinton told a voter in October during a broadcast on NBC's "Today."

The announcement comes as the Sanders and Clinton campaigns have been in intense negotiations over the 2016 Democratic platform. Sanders’ chief policy adviser, Warren Gunnels, has been in regular contact with Clinton campaign senior policy adviser, Maya Harris, throughout those deliberations. Sanders has prioritized trade but affordable higher education and free tuition at the nation’s public universities have also been favorite policy topics throughout his presidential campaign.

Under the changes to Clinton's plan, families earning $85,000 or less would be immediately eligible for the free tuition. The income threshold would then increase by $10,000 a year, so that by 2021 families with an income of $125,000 would qualify.

The Clinton campaign didn’t provide an estimated pricetag for the changes to her original plan, but said additional costs would be offset by closing “additional high-income tax loopholes” and that it wouldn’t add to the national debt. The cost of Clinton’s original college affordability plan was $350 billion.

At a press conference shortly after the Clinton campaign unveiled the new initiative, Sanders praised Clinton for the proposals.

“I want to take this opportunity to applaud Secretary Clinton for the very bold initiative she has brought forth for the finance of public education,” Sanders said outside of his campaign office near Capitol Hill. “This proposal combines some of the boldest proposals she fought for over the course of her campaign with some of the ideas I fought for.”

But Sanders went on to say there are other policy areas where he continues to negotiate with the presumptive Democratic nominee.

“We are working with Secretary Clinton on some initiatives and I hope we can reach agreement on them sooner rather than later,“ he said.

In a statement announcing the changes, Clinton didn’t mention Sanders by name. “I remain committed to ensuring that a college degree is attainable for anyone in this country with the desire and determination to earn one,” she said.

Gabriel Debenedetti contributed to this story.

