"This country made a commitment a very long time ago to provide tuition free education from kindergarten to the 12th grade," said Warren Gunnels, a policy adviser to Sanders. "And right now a college education is just as important as a high school degree was 50 years ago."

Critics have questioned whether the estimates for both the costs and financing are realistic.
When Sanders outlined the plan at Southern New Hampshire University this month, the crowd of several hundred clapped and cheered loudly, even though SNHU is private and not under the purview of Sanders’ proposal.

In contrast, Clinton has pushed a more cautious plan targeting "debt-free" college education, with proposals to increase access to tuition grants, push for income-based repayments, and -- like Sanders -- to allow graduates to refinance student loans at lower interest rates.

Addressing a crowd of around 1,000 people in Manchester, New Hampshire last week, Clinton asked how many people carried student debt. "Oh my goodness. Yeah, me too, me too," she said as hands shot up around the room.

Her plan would require students to work about 10 hours a week and would require higher-income families to contribute. Her campaign estimates it would cost $350 billion over 10 years -- less than half of Sanders' price tag.

"I’m a big proponent personally that the kids should have to have some skin in the game," said Scott McGilvray, the president of the New Hampshire branch of the National Education Association, which has endorsed Clinton.

Jennifer and David Speidel, an adult couple from New Hampshire, worry their children’s student loans will hit shortly after they pay off their own.
"There’s no break," Jennifer said.

They are not the only adults who, for one reason or another, are dealing with student debts. About a fifth of households headed by people 45 to 54 years old have them, according to a 2014 study from the Government Accountability Office.

For students already enrolled in college, though, the debts are mounting even as the candidates campaign.

"I try not to think about that too much," said May Mullen, 19, another freshman at SNHU.