Why Colleges Should Not Be Free

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.

A problem with student loan debt is that students gain more debt because they are not able to pay off the student loans within the given time which also causes them to put certain life decisions on hold. According to Sophie Quinton debt is a problem for the recent college graduates because “There’s currently no way to get rid of federal student debt other than paying off the loans. while some borrowers are paying off their debts just fine, overall they are adding debt faster than they are shedding it”(Quinton). According to Jamaal Abdul-Alim stated that a “survey - titled Student Loan Debt: Who’s Paying the Price?- revealed a number of troubling statistics about the practical ways that student loans are impacting college graduates in their everyday lives. For instance the survey found that: 49

good career if college was free.The recent studies of tuition increases have proven that it is obvious college should be free.

Should the cost of earning a college degree be free? Some students,parents, and educators say that it is morally wrong for a child to spend their entire life going to public school for free and having them to just turn around and pay for college. The students, parents, and educators all would agree that the cost of obtaining a college degree should indeed be free. Those who are against this issue believe that the students themselves or their parents who are financially able should pay for some or all of the expense of attending college after all public school students are given a free ride from elementary to high school. Understanding and considering both sides of the issue, I strongly stand by the decision stating that the cost of attending college should be free.

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.

For parents and students, free college sounds like a dream come true. Free college is not a new idea, but, with higher education costs and students debt dominating public perception, it is one that appeals to more and more people. The national debate about free, public higher education is long ago and. Last year, Germany eliminated tuition because they believed that free college works. Germany used to charge student $1,300 per year, which was later found discouraged the Germans from going to college. Norway, Sweden, Finland, France, Argentina, Egypt, Spain and many other countries around the globe also offer free college to all of their citizens and foreigners too. Next year, Chile will do the same. If other countries can make free college, so can the

Over the last decade student loan debt has risen substantially and is now one of the largest form of personal debt in America, totaling about one trillion dollars, with 71 percent of students who earn a bachelors degree graduating with debt, with the average amount of debt being $29,400.

An estimated 20 million Americans attend college each year, and 60% of those students borrow annually to pay for it (qtd. in asa.org, “Student Loan Debt Statistics”). Moreover, citizens continuing to pay off debt after schooling brings the overall number of student-loan-borrowers to about 40 million- with a collective 1 trillion dollars in debt (McCarthy, “10 Fun Facts About the Student Debt Crisis); a fourth of these borrowers owe over $28,000, a tenth owe over $54,000, 3.1% owe more than $100,000, “and 0.45 percent of borrowers, or 167,000 people, owe more than $200,000” (Haughwout, “Grading Student Loans”). While some view this predicament as the result of laziness or carelessness, the bulk of this substantial group are not at fault.

To let in some light about the topic; Average debt in the US is at very high rates. “Studies show that there is no better short-term or long-term investment for the rest of society than higher education” (Page). College is expensive, let's make it more affordable. “This topic Deserves an open mind and a balanced exploration of the potential benefits, drawbacks, and alternatives” (“Should”). No matter the topic there is drawbacks. With free tuition there are not many to talk about. “As of the 2013-2014 school year, the countries with tuition-free public higher education included: Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Norway, The Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Turkey and Germany. Free college, in Europe especially has proven to be a popular idea” (“Should”). Other major countries are successfully improving with free college tuition. US students want to add America to that list.

Student loan debt in the United States is expanding unrestricted each year. There are 36 million Americans today, holding over $740 billion dollars in student loan debt. (U.S. 2013) The current student loan system is intended to open doors to economic prosperity for those who could not otherwise afford to go to college. Research suggests that the unintended consequence of too much available student credit is real people losing prosperity and languishing in debt for extended periods of their lives. Reducing or eliminating the availability of student loans would have a tremendous impact on improving the lives of Americans. If things continue the way they are now, American’s will soon find college, and its implied ticket to economic

The United States was ranked 4th in the highest average cost of tuition, but we are only ranked 12th in the world in four-year degrees. This means that the productivity of the students in the states does not match the cost of their education. Additionally, the average rest of the world tuition coverage is 70% of college fees while the US government only covers 38% of college fees. Not only does a free education system help improve the economy, but it also grants students equality in their chances of being accepted. To elaborate, if everyone did not have to

In the United States today, the number of students graduating college with student loan debt is quite astonishing. In the article titled, “How the $1.2 Trillion College Debt Crisis Is Crippling Students, Parents And The Economy”, we will examine and break down the student loan debt crisis by the numbers. Today, almost two-third’s of students graduating college are graduating with an average of $26,000 in debt. For most students, $26,000 is a lot of money when the average annual income for a first year graduate is only in the mid $40,000 a year range. According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, student loan debt has reached a new milestone, crossing the $1.2 trillion mark (Denhart, 2013, Introduction, par. 2). With student loan debt levels

A. National data shows that the United States is on track to reach a high-school graduation rate of 90 percent by 2020, which is more than ever before. (Wong, 2015). Despite these high graduation numbers, students still decide not to attend college. So why should the public strive to provide free tuition if students do not go? More negatives than positives will come about from free tuition in public colleges and universities.

The cost of attending a college, university, or any other higher education institution in the United States is becoming increasingly more expensive every year. The United States ranks as third highest in the western world, only behind Mexico and Japan, for cost of college tuition and fees (Business Insider). With a growing divide between those that are wealthy and those that are working to lower class in the US, many students and their families are finding the road to a higher education more unattainable than ever before. American students are paying higher tuition and college fees today than at any other time in the history of the United States’ higher education system. The cost of higher education in the United States should be low-cost or free to any US citizen who wishes to become educated and skilled.

With college loan debt steadily increasing in the U.S each year, many of college students and graduates are forced into a corner. Many students cannot afford college so they take out loans due to the increasingly competitive job market. By the time most students graduate they are in massive debt. The class of 2015 graduated with an average debt of $35,000 (Bennett & Wilezol 76). Cumulative student loan debt within the country now stands at 1.2 trillion. It is now the largest non-mortgage type of borrowing. College graduates average paying off student loans anywhere from 15 to 18 years. While the recent graduate struggles to make each student loan repayment spread out throughout the years interest only builds into something much larger each year into something inevitable. Student debt cannot be erased nor forgiven. As tuition rates on the rise, borrowers will have a tough time repaying their student loans after leaving school. 8.5% of graduates struggle to find jobs suited for their degrees after leaving college. Many graduates end up stuck with jobs that leave them gasping for breath while they try to repay their loans back that only continue to build interest. This debt does not only harm the student but, the U.S economy as well. As students continue their education, they are faced with the hardships of increased loan borrowing due to the competitive job market that requires degrees for the majority of jobs, prestigious colleges with expensive tuitions, and a lack of