I would first look at improving the middle school and high school education for these students before we even think of providing “free” college education to the masses. For example, LA unified school districts doesn’t graduate 25% of its HS class, 10% don’t even get past 9th grade.
Let’s improve the quality of the secondary education and get graduation rates close to 100%.
Also, more students should be learning a trade and not wasting time at college. Many jobs don’t require a formal college education.
Lastly, the community colleges are extremely affordable, especially if one lives at home and then you can transfer to a state college. This is a very affordable option for lots of students (4 of 5 of my siblings did just that). You can get a great and affordable college education without having it be “free”.