When Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., asked Betsy DeVos to endorse tuition-free college, the incoming education secretary parried the demand with an undeniable observation. “There’s nothing in life that is truly free — somebody is going to pay for it,” she replied.

That exchange traversed the familiar arguments about government programs that distinguish conservatives and liberals. A bipartisan group of lawmakers, however, has a growing inclination to sidestep that debate. They want college students to receive an education without putting young professionals or the federal government further in debt, and they might have figured out how to do it.