A new report from Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce projects that enrollment at public universities would increase from 9 to 22 percent, while enrollment at private universities would decrease up to 15 percent. The largest enrollment increases in public colleges would be at open-access institutions. Selective public institutions would fill first and could make college even more selective by turning more prospective students away. The greatest growth in new students would be among those who have not considered higher education until it was made free.
The report can be accessed at https://cew.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/Clintons-Free-College-Proposal.pdf.