College costs in the United States have been rising faster than inflation, and many students have faced financial problems. College should be free for many young students who want or need an education.
Arguments for debt-free education include personal benefits and the fact that education helps to positively impact society. The ability to provide free education has become more possible over time.
The five reasons why college education should be free are because it improves society, widens the workforce, boosts the economy, increases equality and focuses on their studies. According to The University of People website, “Arguments against free education include the fact that taxes may increase, either individually or on businesses.”
The University of People wrote, “When students graduate with debt, they will likely continue to add to their debt with interest. As such, it can take many years before they manage to dig themselves out of debt that only seems to keep growing. In the meantime, this delays spending on such things as buying a house or a car.”
Students can’t afford to buy a car or a house because they need to pay back student loans—with interest. They also need to save money for school expenses such as books, food, supplies and emergency expenses.
In the past three decades, the cost of attending private colleges has grown to $50,000 per year, according to The New York Times. Texas and Michigan are experimenting with plans to reduce or eliminate tuition for students.
Half of the states in the U.S. have embraced similar situations, seeking to cover at least some tuition expenses for some students. According to The New York Times in 2022, “Starting in July, New Mexico will go a step further: It will completely cover tuition for all state residents who attend public colleges and universities.
According to authors Gudrun Biffl & Joe Isaac of “Should Higher Education Students Pay Tuition Fees?,” “Countries which charge comparatively high fees make the fees dependent on parent income, thus providing free university education to the poorer students who are also entitled to subsidized loans.”
Biffl and Isaac also explained future welfare costs, stating that, “Welfare costs may be expected to increase as a result of industrial restructuring and non-traditional employment contracts and greater instability of families.”
Free college tuition can help society by developing educated, problem-solving members of the community. If more people enter school and focus their studies on booming industries, the population will be better equipped to cope with economic changes.
This article was updated on March 29, 2024 – the word “equality” was miswritten as “inequality.”
