Free College Education In America

College tuition, something that everyone worries about and works tirelessly to save their entire lives for. What would happen if college tuition disappeared and college was suddenly free? In this rhetorical analysis, I will be analyzing two different articles on if college should be free. While both of these articles use logos and politics to prove their statements and force their arguments to be stronger, the first argument explains that college should be free for everyone and the other disagrees and discusses why college tuition should stay as is. It also gives more strength and credibility to the author’s and articles.

President Barack Obama introduced his America’s College Promise proposal to make community college tuition-free for students in January, but Finger Lakes Community College (FLCC) President Barbara Risser did not bring it up with the collegewide governance body until October. She did not endorse it; she only asked the approximately 20 members to think about what it would mean for the school. No one responded. Mr. Obama says his proposal would expand the reach of higher education, a goal that fits with liberal ideology. Given that academics tend to lean left (Jaschik, 2012), the lack of enthusiasm for a seemingly liberal proposal on a college campus might seem unusual. This essay will review the tenets of conservatism and liberalism and explore their usefulness in predicting the impact of American’s College Promise and who might take sides for or against it. It will show the president’s proposal cannot be categorized neatly into one of the two dominant ideological camps. Wilson’s cost-benefit typology proves a more meaningful way to consider the potential ramifications of the policy and how that information could be used to refine it.

In the article titled “Should Community College be Free?” written by Joanne Jacobs, the author talks up the argument about whether Community College should be free and presents both sides being that Community College should in fact be free for the many students who cannot afford it which will increase, “the number of people with degrees”, according to past President Barack Obama. The other side argues that making Community College free will only help those whose parents make too much to afford Grants stating that those who can afford it will be taking advantage of the free cost and making the schools overcrowded.

Iris Palmer, the senior policy analyst with the Educational Policy program at New America, notes in her article The False Promise of “Free College” that there is no denying the appeal “free college” offers to students pursuing a college degree. In this article, Palmer discusses several reasons why presidential nominee Hillary Clintons’ plan for free college would not have been beneficial to the United States, or to students hoping to earn a college degree. Although the articles main focus is about the plan created by Clinton, it ultimately can be used to form an argument against the general plans for “free” college tuition as a whole. The article lists several reasons why “free” college tuition would not solve the problem of the lack of students

In this essay, I argue that community college tuition should be free or significantly less than it already is. The reasons why I support this argument is due to the strong points of the supporting premises for this argument. While the con side of the argument leans heavily on just one supporting thesis – essentially repeating that people should deserve and pay for a two year college as the same they do for a four year college –, the pro side supports in three different ways of why this is beneficial to America. It explains how this will provide the middle class of America a gateway to a better future that they wouldn't have before, how the investment into the America's College Promise plan is small with the payout being immeasurable, and to those who prove that they deserve this kind of benefit. The pro heavily outweighs the con in supporting premises.

An ongoing key debate today in the United States, the home of the free and country full of opportunities, is whether or not college tuition should be free to all students. In the early 1900s, higher education was encouraged and seen as a “public good”, so it was paid for with increased tax revenues. By the late 1900s though, an argument arose that higher education benefited the individual; therefore, it was considered a “private good” in which the individuals and their families had the pay for it. This relates to the cost of higher education, whether higher education is affordable or not, especially for students from lower-income families. Also, where the responsibility for

One reason that college education should be free is because it will eradicate student debt. Many students are going into a tremendous amount of debt, and they are having a bothersome situation paying it off. According to the National Education Association, the largest professional interest group in the United States, “Most who graduate do so with tens of thousands of dollars of debt, shackling them to creditors for decades and limiting their career options” (Clawson and Page 2002-2017). This is momentous because students who graduate in debt often have to live with it and rely on loans from the bank. Because students are in tens of thousands of dollars of debt, their career options are limited. Using these choices, their whole future is on the line. Sure they may be able to pay it off later in their life, but paying for the essentials such as food, water, and a place to live, will also cause them to spend a lot of money, so much that paying off the debts might be too much. College is a very expensive opportunity and causes a lot of student debt. As stated in Huffington Post, “...42 million Americans have collectively borrowed more than $1.2 trillion to pay for higher education. More than 1 in 4 of those borrowers, or at least 11 million people, are either behind on their monthly payments or in default” (Nasiripour 2016). All in all, this is a very profound point because it supports the fact that college students who have graduated with debt are behind on their loan payments. This brings up the fact that college funds are just too much to handle, and college should be free. Forty two million people and 1.2 trillion dollars do

It is no surprise to anyone that America is in a financial crisis, and student debt is becoming a rising conflict in our country. The future of my generation is important, and we need to take the time to set proper standards towards our approach to higher education for future generations. There are many advantages to obtaining a college degree, such as higher annual salaries and a larger pool of careers to pursue. A reoccurring factor today is whether or not higher education should be provided for free in the United States. I strongly oppose liberal views that propose higher education be provided for free nationwide, but support facts that steps should be taken to provide higher education at an affordable rate, and simultaneously focus

The benefits of a free college education in America include that it would help Americas economy, give everyone an equal opportunity to get an education, eliminate student loan debts, help those who are the first people in their family to ever attend college, and it would give students more benefits. Although a free college education would benefit America it is up to everyone to come to their own conclusions. Whether it be for having a free college education or opposed to having a free college

In the article “Tennessee is showing how free community college works” (The supportive party) Celeste Carruthers elaborates on the “Tennessee promise”, which ensures “Free tuition for high school graduates of any income and any aptitude” (!). On the opposing side, Andrew P. Kelly wrote “The Problem Is That Free College Isn’t Free”. Kelly explicates on how free college is a good idea with good intentions; however, it is truly a hoax, which will do more harm than any good for taxpayer’s and students. The final reading is- “Is college doomed” by Graeme Wood, he illustrates his experience within Ben Nelson Minerva online Program, which Nelson envisions should be the new form of higher education. College tuition should be free for students, reason being that, it provides the students with low income more opportunities; the student will have more of a focal point on their studies; and will not have a financial burden, hindering them from expanding their horizon; however, there must be new highly

Jeje, B., & Rodriguez, B. (2016). Why free higher ed can’t wait. Dollars and Sense, 323,5-8 Retrieved from http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.lib.kaplan.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid

In the first article, “College Doesn’t Need to be Free” by Charles Lane, Lane discusses what Bernie Sanders has said about college, and the fact that he disagrees with it. Lane

Higher education falls under the realm of nothing is truly free in life. Professors live on paychecks, buildings require chronic maintenance, labs modernize, and the campus grounds freshen up every cut. Running a university exhausts both taxpayers and student families’ income. Even with all these expenses, one state managed to establish an utopia, “California ... did provide tuition-free college for generations”(Skelton). Older generations questioned millennials and Senator Sander’s free college platform, however history showcased a glimpse of time when such a concept was the norm on the west coast. Yet, as utopias go, this one crumpled as well. Across the pond, students in European Socialist countries such as Denmark, Norway, and Sweden

Professor Richard Vedder, professor of economics at Ohio university, opposes the idea of free community college tuition. He states “There is no such thing as free college. Someone has to pay for it” (Hosansky 401). Professor Vedder goes on to say that people who benefit from college are the ones attending, “So why shouldn’t they pay for it?” (Hosansky 401). He claims that it is unfair for a sophomore attending a four-year university to pay, but a second year community college student does not have to. The success rate at community colleges in the United States is around 31%. Professor Vedder is not willing to attempt to “invest” in student’s futures by making community college tuition free. Vedder continues to discuss how the gap between income for high school graduates and associate degree holders. dropped around 10% for woman and around 12% for men from 2006 to 2013. He claims “The community college financial payoff is declining” (Hosansky 401). Professor Vedder is justifying his

The cost of college education rates has risen so much over the years that it has gained national attention of many students and their parents, as well as political leaders. Former presidential candidate, Bernie Sanders, had the magnificent idea that college could somehow be “free”(Patton, 2015). But as we know nothing in life is really “free” because every tax-paying America would directly feel this hurt. Patton acknowledged, “Outstanding student loans are approaching $1.2 trillion” (Patton, 2015). We need to do something or the economy of our country will be significantly hurt and we will all feel the consequences.