We should ALL support free college, because a college education should be an EDUCATION.

[ljm2002]

35. I will note that Clinton's plan does not address your issues either...

...i.e. it talks about debt free college, with tuition free community colleges, but it fails to address anything about continuing education or people who might want to go back to college.

So here are your 2 questions:

If I want to finish my BA after I retire, will that be free? Can my son who dropped out 3 years ago, go back free? Just trying to understand the parameters as the answers to these questions do impact costs.

My understanding is that both you and your son would go through the normal admissions process, and once accepted into (or back into) the program, then yes, assuming you are going to a public college or university, you will be attending tuition-free, plus you will be able to avail yourself of low interest loans if necessary, apply for grants, etc.

Neither plan (Clinton or Sanders) says anything about continuing education classes. Many colleges and universities offer classes that people take individually, not as part of a degree program, and typically the people pay to take those classes. I don't know if those would also be mandated to be free of charge, and I don't know if they should be. I think the thrust of both plans is for people who are getting degrees, and are being saddled with huge debt, sometimes with high interest, and not dischargeable through bankruptcy either. Both Clinton and Sanders recognize that making higher education more attainable serves the larger social good and are trying to make improvements in this area.