Argumentative Essay: Should College Tuition Be Free?

Should colleges be free in America? It is a question that is more relevant today than ever before. As education is one key factor that determines the nation’s fate going forward, this question is worth debating. Making free college education may sound good theoretically but requires herculean efforts to make it practically possible. The main question is whether such program be effective in the long run or not? If, yes how long will the government able to support these costs and from where? Are tuition costs only the concern that discourages students from attending colleges? There may arise several skepticisms that can withhold the idea of free colleges. As both colleges and students won’t be benefitted by such plans the college education should not be free.

People can’t afford to go to college. For example, they can’t go to school and still make the money they need to support them and their family. Nikki Edgecombe is a senior research associate at the Community College Research Center at Columbia University Teachers College. Nikki says, “Free tuition will increase college enrollments, as shown by Tennessee Promise, particularly at open access institutions and among students with more challenging educational histories.” If college was more affordable people would want to continue their education. Instead of paying for tuition these students could, with some possible financial cuts, afford the hours of pay missed.

Should college be free? A current universal problem poses this question. In today’s world, full of public education standards that hold students maybe too high and in a generation bogged down by student debt, this issue qualifies as a problem more than many are maybe even willing to admit. While the prospect of free college proposes excellent ideals such as a stronger and smarter generation, no student loan problems, and a higher educated society, the truth may actually lie in the reality that making college free would do more hindrance than good and is not the answer to these problems. Free college would increase economic problems, according to Andrew P. Kelly, who says it would only shifts the cost to someone else. As well, it would also hinder our education system. Michael J. Petrilli writes that making college free would “probably shift billions of dollars a year from programs that help talented poor kids access higher education and improve our schools”. Although the concept of free higher education is becoming appealing to the general population, it ultimately would create more problems than it solved and do virtually nothing of huge significance to increase the level of intelligence in modern society.

Higher education through colleges and universities has been going on for hundreds of years and can be dated back to ancient Greece. In the United States, it was long the second option for those wanted more knowledge and a better paying job. In recent years it has become increasingly more expensive, and more necessary to make a living wage. This has raised the question of whether or not college should be free. While current system for college payment is flawed in many ways, eliminating its costs would not solve the problem, and instead, create more.

The debate of whether community college should be free or not has been going on for many years. For the most part, many students have been able to have free education even if the are low income or high income. Most students are able to have equal educational opportunity to be able to learn for around 12 years. If it has been going on for 12 years, then why not make higher education free as well. In the article written by Joanne Jacobs titled, “As He Promotes It, Some Question Obama’s Free Community College Idea” discusses the main arguments on whether Obama’s plan of making community college free plan can be a benefit or a waste of money. Community college offers the ability to be able to finish one’s first 2 years of their general general education plan at a free or reduced price compared to completing general ed a a 4 year institution. Community college should be free because it allows lower income students the ability to have their tuition paid as well as their books and it allows students to be able to earn their bachelor's at a better rate.

Universities used to be a privilege for most academic students to attend and it was very affordable, but currently the price per year to attend college has drastically increased. For instance, in the “1970’s the average cost was 10,000 dollars a year and today the average cost is 30,000 dollars a year” (CQ Researcher). This is a triple increase in the price per year to attend college. Allowing this increase on college tuition has impacted the student’s attendance rate. This is a significant financial burden for college students and their family. Some believe that college shouldn’t be free because we are risking the value of college education, while others think it should be free because we are trying to avoid having our upcoming generation

It becomes a major controversy when the idea of something being “free” is brought up in this economy. Money is what operates the economical system and it’s the factor that leads colleges in providing resources for their students. President Obama’s idea of having community college be free leaves many skeptical on whether it can be beneficial, or in some ways hurtful. However, there are upsides to allowing community college to be free. Community College should be free because it will cause a diversity of students to attend, allow students to save money, and offer an opportunity for those who aspire to continue their education.

    Bernie Sanders has proposed a golden opportunity that could open the door and evolve the potential students have and overall just give many the opportunity to continue to strive for success. Congress and the education board are seeing Bernie Sanders proposal as an ongoing conflict as to how he plans on paying for the tuition in another alternative. Congress and the education board believe that with this opportunity given at no price, students could take advantage and affect this opportunity negatively. Bernie Sanders has proposed that he plans on giving all students a chance in college, therefore opening the doors so that education is free for all. Tuition free college, Bernie Sanders proposal opens the doors for many

In the article “ As he promotes it, some questions Obama’s free community college idea” by Joanne Jacobs explains Obama’s idea of community college being free. The article mentions teachers and students opinion of Obama’s idea and the say whether the agree with his plan or not. There is many issues with this plan because it means that schools are going to be more crowded because more people are going to attend. There’s also some positive things about this because it means more people would be encourage to go to school and get a degree so that they can get a better job. Community college should not be free because from my personal experience I have observed that community college offers students a chance to go to school for free, if more people attend community colleges the school will be packed which will make the school add a waiting list for others.

Should college be free or is it good the way it is? This is one of the most debatable questions of this generation. Like every other thing it would also have its pros and cons. Many say that it would greatly help a country while others say that nothing is truly free and someone must pay for it. However the growth of a country’s economy over the long run is miles more than the loose in the short term. So in my opinion College should be free for everyone.

College is, no doubt, not an option if someone wants to succeed in this thriving world today. Free tuition would be great, but free tuition would mean the government would have to pay. Instead of students paying for tuition, tax payers would be paying, so technically the federal government does not pay for free tuition. College should not be completely free because college is a privilege not a right, taxes would go up, and previous students would want to be paid back.

There have been many debates whether college should be free? This has been getting a lot of debate over the years in politics and media. The one reason that college should be free is that it would give the opportunity to those teens that are not financially able to go because they can't afford it. There are parents that are living paycheck by paycheck every week so they can't put a little money aside for school. In an online article by Hunter Throndsen he states “By making college free, people who couldn't afford to go to college would be able to go. If you are able to succeed and pass classes in college, then you should be allowed to do just that regardless

The words “free college tuition” spark interest in any college student with accumulating debt. In fact, this topic is so incredibly supported that Bernie Sanders implemented it as a core interest in his 2016 campaign. Once Hillary Clinton became the Democratic nominee, she decided to take it on herself with an extensive plan that guaranteed students free tuition. Unsurprisingly, free tuition resonates extremely well within the student demographic. To forty million Americans, free tuition eliminates the largest problem for students: debt (Hess, 2017). However, free college tuition generates the inverse of what these low-income and middle-income students believe. In fact, free college cripples them from multiple perspectives; students will end up spending more financially, will be less likely to graduate with a degree, and will be subjected to more inequality and less exposure.

Having an education is the prime key to becoming successful in life and having a high school diploma is just not enough. Majority of the jobs in society today require individuals to obtain a college degree or trade. It is not easy trying to receive a degree or trade because of the expenses. Those who do not have a degree or trade have to settle for minimum wage paying jobs and others simply cannot find jobs at all. A convenient solution to this is that the federal government should offer free tuition to all students seeking a two-year college education with at least a 2.5 GPA.

Education plays a huge role in today’s society. The only downfall about education is not being able to afford it. Education eats your bank account and costing people to lose thousands so they are able to do something they love or just get a degree. People always question one another asking why people do not go to college. Why are people not taking advantage of something that will pay well after it is completed? Most of the answers for that is that they cannot afford to pay for schooling or they have to work to provide for their family and school is not a number one priority right now. If education was tuition free students would only be able to focus on studying and passing college then looking for money to pay for their schooling and that would help them perform better at school if they do not have to worry about finding a way to pay for it. Education should be free because it would help lower the homeless population, dropout rates, and stop student debt after they graduate college.