President On Bus Tour To Promote Affordable College Tuition

President Obama is committed to providing America’s would be students with affordable school tuition and he’s back on the road Thursday, starting a two-day bus trip to promote plans to cut college costs.

First up is a flight to upstate New York, where Obama will speak at the University of Buffalo, the State University of New York. The president and his bus then travel to Henninger High School in Syracuse.

“At these two schools, the President will discuss his plan to make college more affordable, tackle rising costs, and improve value for students and their families,” says the White House schedule.

Among the proposals, one that Obama mentioned in his State of the Union speech in February: Raking colleges on cost factors like tuition, and basing federal funding partly on those rankings.

Obama’s plan “will measure college performance through a new ratings system so students and families have the information to select schools that provide the best value,” said the White House.

The plan also calls on colleges to use innovation and technology to provide “high value at low costs,” the White House said.

Student aid would be tied closer to progress toward a degree under Obama’s plan. It would also allow borrowers to enroll in a “Pay As Your Earn” plan that would cap loan payments at 10% of income.

After discussing college costs in Buffalo and Syracuse, Obama spends the night in Auburn, N.Y.

The president wraps up his bus tour on Friday with stops in Binghamton, N.Y., and Scranton, Penn.

Story contributions from USA Today.  Check out our Home Page before you go.