(Bebeto Matthews, Associated Press)

COLUMBUS, Ohio –Lawmakers released a 23-page report this week with ideas to decrease Ohio college costs, since the state has been near the bottom in tuition affordability in recent years.

Free tuition, an idea popular among young people and some Democrats, is not in the report. The committee and the Ohio General Assembly are dominated by Republicans.

However, other ideas such as a tuition guarantee and apprenticeship programs could potentially make a dent in school costs, and the crushing debt young people face after graduation.

The recommendations may or may not materialize – depending on whether members of the General Assembly can pass legislation to make them a reality.

Read on to learn more.

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Graduate in a timely fashion

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(Seth Wenig, Associated Press file)

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Lawmakers are interested in students graduating in a reasonable amount of time, since dragging a degree out can cost more. Worse, many students leave school without earning their degrees.

Ohio State University has saved students $2.4 million in one year by slicing 25 percent off tuition in the summer semester.

Since 2013, the University of Akron has had the Finish in Time (FIT) campaign to encourage full-time students to enroll in 15 or more credit hours a semester. The result has been a 9 percent increase in full-time enrolled students taking 15 or more credits a semester.

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Apprenticeships

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(John Minchillo, Associated Press)

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The committee wants the legislature to explore ways in which adult apprenticeship programs can recognize high school students’ pre-apprenticeship credits.

The report also recommended an increase in state investment in apprenticeships, which would enhance the attractiveness of the programs.

The report noted that many positions in the skilled trades are unfilled because employers can’t find people with the proper career and technical education.

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Community college transfers

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(Associated Press)

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Students who enroll at community colleges for their first two years can save money on their four-year degree.

In 2015, the General Assembly ordered the Ohio Department of Higher Education to develop a program in which students could receive a community college associate’s degree in their field of study before transferring to a university to complete their bachelor’s degree – with their associate’s credits recognized by the university. The guaranteed transfer program is being implemented.

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Tuition guarantee

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(Mike Derer, Associated Press)

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Tuition guarantee programs assure students and their families that their tuition, fees, room and board won’t skyrocket during their four-year undergraduate program.

Eleven schools have tuition guarantees, beginning with Ohio University in 2015. The legislature requires tuition guarantees to last for four years or 12 consecutive semesters. Universities can implement a one-time, 6 percent increase in tuition.

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End tuition freezes, allow some increases

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(Associated Press)

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Over the years, various governors and legislatures have frozen tuition for a year or two at a time. But inflation continued to increase, creating a gap between the amount of money schools received for tuition and the actual cost to educate students. The committee determined a better path is capping tuition increases, which would allow schools to have modest tuition increases if necessary.

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Textbook negotiations

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(Paul Sakuma, Associated Press)

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Previously, students purchased books individually, but a new model is increasingly used throughout Ohio called “inclusive access:” prices for entire classes are negotiated with book publishers. The class would get the course materials electronically and at a discount of up to 80 percent for e-textbooks and 55 percent for computer courseware.

The committee estimates Ohio students could save $39.7 million a year.

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Differentiated degree pricing

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(Rogelio V. Solis, Associated Press)

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The committee recommended that the legislature and future governor explore allowing schools to decrease tuition for degrees that are less expensive to offer.