Is Free College Really Free?
Every child grows up with dreams of becoming something, whether it is an astronaut, scientist, policeman or soldier. Most of these dreams require pursuing education after high school, and while sometimes it may not be necessary, it is strongly recommended. America has evolved into a society where if someone does not obtain a college degree, then they are looked down upon. Not only are they booted to the not as appreciated jobs, but they are kicked down the social ladder. This has become an issue throughout America, because with a college degree becoming a necessity, the cost of one has risen out of control. Most people can agree that this is becoming a greater issue, and in the last year, the political question of whether or not college tuition should be free has come into play. However, at what cost would a college tuition become “free.” Susan West Engelkemeyer, author of “A Better Idea Than Free College” believes that “free college” would not actually be free at all. The plan than former presidential candidate proposed included a budget of $350 billion through a ten-year period to adjust to the costs (Engelkemeyer). This plan is only set for families with a household income less than $85,000 and then later would raise to $125,000. Therefore, in order to make up for the cost of these students’ tuition, those above the line would have to pay even more for tuition, and taxes would increase, so this plan would not be free, the plan would just be shifted.
Engelkemeyer then proposes her thoughts on the current tuition costs and what she believes may be alternatives to free tuition. Student debt is an issue, however, “a graduate’s total debt should not exceed a starting salary, keeping loan payments to about 1 percent of annual income,” (Engelkemeyer). Today, the average student aid debt is $26,900, and the median earning for those who graduate from college is $56,094, so the average debt is well below the average salary. Engelkemeyer also makes the point that public colleges would have to increase the amount of students they accept, which would cause a need to spend more on amenities, dorms, and professors, which would cost millions. In turn, the amount of students attending private colleges would decrease and several of the prestigious schools would be forced to close. In a similar opinion, Bob Luebke, author of “Why Free College Tuition is a Bad Idea” believes that not only would free college be “free” but that the value of a college degree would diminish. This can be compared to public education throughout history. A high school diploma used to be a prized accessory, however now those who do not graduate are below the norm. This effect could be applied to if college tuition was free, if everyone could obtain one, then it would not be as valuable, and people would end up needing to go to more schooling to stand out amongst their peers. Leubke does not think that a degree is necessary to get a job, in fact, there are more openings for jobs that do not require a degree.
Therefore, Leubke comes to the conclusion that, “A free tuition proposal would make sense if there was a great demand for certain fields and college access was a significant problem (Leubke). But it’s not,” he then asserts research that there really is not issue for going to college, but the problem is with people not completing college, or taking years to complete college. On the other side of the argument “Make College Free for All” written by Bernie Sanders, is dedicated to the benefits of free college. Sanders view is different from Clinton’s in that he believes that tuition should be free for everyone. His main argument supports the idea that, “rising costs are making it harder and harder for ordinary Americans to get the education they want and need,” (Sanders). He also states that America is strong in the global economy, and if every citizen had access to a free higher education, then the country, as a whole, could compete better and stay on top of the global economy. In order to achieve this, Sanders believes that people of lower income should have equal access to public colleges and universities, so that they can further their education and then get better jobs and compete in the workforce. Not only should people of lower income be given a fair chance of receiving a college degree, but another reason for making college tuition free is that the student loan debt is high and negatively affecting the incoming workforce after college. Keith Ellison discusses this argument in his article “The Argument for Tuition-Free College.”
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Ellison states that college used to more affordable due to the fact that federal aid covered most of the price of tuition. Due to budget cuts though, college students do not have access to this luxury, which in return has caused student loans to become the highest form of personal loan debt at $1.3 trillion. Ellison concludes that, “Education our kids is one of our communities most important responsibilities, and it’s a right that every one of us enjoys,” therefore since everyone has a right to education, free college would extend this right to those who are unable to afford tuition otherwise. While there are great points on each side of the argument on free tuition, there is also a middle ground, which is discussed in Luke Redd’s article “Should College Be Free? Pros, Cons, and Alternatives.” This article states that maybe college tuition free is not the best answer, but something needs to be done about the expensive costs. The article lists several alternative, one of which based off of the Australian program, HELP, which bases loan payments off of income level. In addition, another alternative is, “Investing in better financial education for everyone so that all students become financially literate and know how to make money work for them before attending college or getting their first jobs,” (Redd). Not only should children be educated, but also parents should become better educated when it comes to saving for their child to go to college, scholarship opportunities, and other financial options for college.
One other interesting solution is to give tax write-offs for those parents who set aside funds for their child’s college. The concept of “free college” is viewed by different people in different ways. While some people see it as necessary others may not. Most people on either side of the argument can agree that the cost of tuition is expensive, and lower class people are affected by it no matter how smart they are. A college degree has become very important in today’s society, and everyone should be given a fair chance of achieving this. However, there needs to be more research done on what the best way to attack this problem. At first glance, the idea of free college may sound like a brilliant idea, however, there are several downfalls for every breakthrough. With more research, solutions could be found for how to fund free college, and perhaps if not completely free, there could be a compromise, and the cost could be greatly reduced.
