Free College Proposal

One often overlooked point about “free” college tuition is that it is not ever free. The money does not just appear out of nowhere. What people normally mean by the statement of “free” college, it means free college for students. If the students are not paying than who would have to pay? The only other option would be the federal government. Right now, Americans owe more than $875 billion dollars in student loans. If the cost of tuition continues to grow at the rate it is, that number is only going to grow. If the federal government were to pay this, it would only further the country in debt.

Should college be free? In “The Problem is That Free College Isn't Free,” Andrew P. Kelly argues that free college would cost more for the American taxpayer. On the other hand, in “Tennessee Is Showing How Free Tuition Community College Works,” Celeste Carruthers states having free college will give more incentive for students to go to college. It will also encourage them to try community college first. Although free college sounds great at first, it would be more practical to have programs for people who cannot simply afford it. College tuition shouldn’t be the American taxpayers’ responsibility.

One of the largest reasons many people oppose that college in America should become free for its first two years is the cost. “By White House estimates, the total expenditure would be about $60 billion over a 10-year period.” (Free Community College) Two factors are at question with this kind of money. First, why not use this money in other areas of our nation? 60 billion dollars could be put towards our public high schools to increase education at a younger level. It could also be put towards creating new jobs. Even if America has become more educated doesn’t mean that an abundance of

       Recently President Obama proposed a plan to make two years of community college free to

First, free college may not benefit those most in need. As Matt Bruenig, a writer who researches poverty and welfare systems, in his article “The Case Against Free College” argued, “The main problem with free college is that most students come from disproportionately well-off background and already enjoy disproportionately well-off futures, which makes them relatively uncoupling targets for public transfers…At public colleges, students from the poorest fourth of the population currently pay net tuition at either two-year or four-year institutions….Richer students currently receive much fewer tuition and living grant benefits”(113). Free college should benefit poorer students, but actually could end up helping wealthy students more. Low income

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.

In the United States there are already a few different states that are offering free college tuition. Those states being, Rhode Island, Tennessee, San Francisco, New York, Oregon and a few others. Let’s focus on the state of San Francisco a little more. In the article “San Francisco will offer free college tuition to residents” Amanda Hoover states, “Mayor Ed Lee announced an agreement to budget $5.4 million in tuition for the college Monday. Officials say that will cover tuition for current students and allow the school to expand enrollment by 20 percent. Low-income students who qualify will also see the cost of their books covered in small grants.” This will give hope to those which don’t have enough money to afford

Since Obama’s announcement of his idea to provide free community college an uproar of an argument has arose with two distinct sides: community college should be free and community college should not be free. The idea behind free community college is to help individuals reach towards a college degree just as people are easily set forth to reach for a high school degree. The hope is that by deleting the financial barrier that comes with community college more people are willing to aim for an associates degree and possibly higher. There are states that have decided to take the matter into their own hands and are planning to implement this idea. However, the idea of having free community college implemented throughout all states is still questionable

Over the past few years, President Barack Obama has proposed to make to the first two years of Community College free. Many school and state officials have touched upon this issue. Some officials completely agree with President Obama saying that more students would enroll to community colleges which would increase their chances of obtaining a bachelor’s degree. I, with many others, disagree with this idea. Making Community College free would mean more tax dollars, and making getting an education harder.

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.

President Barack Obama made a proposal on January 8, 2015 to make community college free for Americans. The proposal is made with stipulations, being that students are required to attend at least half time, maintain a 2.5 GPA, and make steady progress toward completing their program. With Tennessee already at a successful head start with their free tuition program, President Barack Obama wants the remaining states to progress as well. Now President Obama wants every American to receive two years of tuition free education in a community college. Upon completion of a community college major, students will receive two years of free education. The plan states that the federal government is to pay three-fourths of a student’s community college tuition if states agree to pay the remaining twenty-five percent. With rising student loan debt, students will finally have the necessary recourses to afford college and go back to school. The two year community college proposal should be mandated, but only with the stipulations previously stated.

One of the problems for free college nationwide is that taxes will rise exponentially. This is best stated in an article in by Martin Bozeman (The Odyssey) “For four short years, you may enjoy a free education at a university of your choice, but you have to remember what happens after you graduate. You get a job, and more importantly, you pay

The American dream is to have a degree, because without a degree life is impossible. Now a days it is nearly beyond reach to have a college education, because most people can not afford one. Although, being able to get a free higher education seems like a dream, it surely can damage our economy. In other terms, “there is no such thing as a free lunch.” College is not actually free, it comes from taxpayers, and although having a higher education is important our economy can not handle paying for college.

The community college has been considered the cheaper alternative for graduating high schools to finish their prerequisites before transferring off to a 4 year university. Students initially take this route due to the high cost of tuition at a 4 year institution and the fact that these classes come at a lower cost (Lu, 2014, para. 1-2). But that doesn’t mean the community can still be a bit costly for some families in the range of the lower social economic class. Loans and interest rates to meet the rising cost of school in general build up over time and present an economic barrier to a certain class range of students. This past year, President Obama recently announced plans to make the first two years of community college free for incoming students. According to the White House Blog, The requirements are for students attend community at least partially and maintain an average GPA of a 2.5 (Hudson, 2015, The requirements, para. 1). This is an excellent decision on the president’s part and could help improve education in this country in general. The positives of this initiative would include the fact that free community college is an inevitability, Student enrollment would increase, and the states in general would be more persuaded to spend on higher education.

First, free tuition will give everyone the opportunity to further their education and build careers without being deprived due to a lack of a degree caused by the financial burdens of tuition fees. The federal government will not be negatively affected if they offered free tuition, because they have enough money to fund colleges. Jordan Weissman, a former senior associate editor of the Atlantic who did research on how the federal government could make tuition free without extra money being spent: stated, “Here's a little known fact: “With what the federal government spent on its various and sundry student aid initiatives last year, it could have covered the tuition bill of every student at every public college in the country”. Tuition at community colleges is approximately $1,700. David Hosansky, a writer for CQ Researcher, addressed the matter of college tuition: “While tuition averages less than $3,500 per year — far lower than the $9,139 average for instate residents at a typical four-year public institution — many community college students still struggle to pay for their education” (388). Even though most colleges offer student loans, students still have to pay out of pocket for college because the amount of loans a student may take out is limited. Most student loans have to be paid back with a fluctuant interest rates. In cases as such, when students do not have the amount of funds needed by a certain due date, they get kicked out of college. Once an individual is no longer enrolled in college they have to repay the student loans they have taken out. Also, they have to pay off any remaining balances they have. Often