Free College Tuition
Introduction
Free college tuition is one of the topical issues that attract debate because of the different preferences held by individuals. At any given time, the rising student debt in the U.S. presents a harrowing problem for different administrations because of their inability to create sustainable measures that allow young people to repay their loans due to their exposure to well-paying jobs. Eliminating the tuition fees and transforming college education into a free learning program will have a significant impact on the nature of outcomes in the American scene and beyond.
Minimal Impact of Student Debt
By introducing free college tuition, students will no longer worry about their piling debt and will study through the different programs until they realize their potential. Surprisingly, American students who finish their education with a debt of less than $10,000 are considered lucky because of the high student debt levels, whose average range between $37,000 and beyond (Ison, 2020). The weight of the student debt hinders graduates from purchasing houses because of their inability to manage between the mortgage fees and the repayment for their student loans.
Freedom to Learn Preferred Programs
Unlike today where a student’s major is dictated by their ability to afford the tuition fees, a free college tuition provides individuals to pursue their career dreams. Importantly, the focus of many counsellors is to advice students to align their interests towards high-paying career options that will enable them to repay their high student loans (Perna, Leigh, & Carroll, 2017). However, in a context where college tuition is free, it becomes easier for students to pursue their desired learning programs that enable them to accomplish their desired goals and objectives in life.
More College Admissions
Young people from low-income barriers fail to enroll for college education because of their inability to afford various aspects associated with the high tuition fees. Instead of accumulating their student loans, the students prefer to pursue blue collar jobs that will help them sustain their families and overcome different social problems affecting them (Dynarski, Libassi, Michelmore, & Owen, 2018). Introducing free college tuition will play an important role of increasing the college admissions and ensuring that individuals can access quality education regardless of their background and social status. Therefore, introducing this offering has a significant impact on the perspectives of individuals towards education.
Opposing Views
There are concerns among various groups of scholars that younger generations might fail to understand the struggles of life if everything is given to them without any aspect of accountability. One of the most basic aspects that students learning from college is managing their finances (The Aspen Institute, 2015). In this regard, exposing them to an environment where everything is given freely might become a distraction that hinders them from realizing their desired objectives in life (Murphy, Scott-Clayton, & Wyness, 2019). Alternatively, the money to facilitate the free college education might have a huge impact on the government’s implementation of different programs that are supposed to improve people’s quality of life.
Conclusion
Free college tuition will reduce the impact of student debt on the prosperity of young graduates, expose students to an environment where they can pursue their dreams, and increase the number of college admissions in the U.S. and other parts of the world. While the benefits of free college tuition appeal to students from low-income backgrounds, scholars opine that introducing the education system might have far-reaching implications on the ability of students to manage their finances outside the learning environment. Therefore, the focus of the scholars should shift from blaming the future behaviors of students and provide viable solutions that address the increasing student debt in the U.S. and beyond.
References
Dynarski, S., Libassi, C. J., Michelmore, K., & Owen, S. (2018). Closing the gap: The effect of a targeted, tuition-free promise on college choices of high-achieving, low-income students (No. w25349). National Bureau of Economic Research.
Ison, M. P. (2020). The Viability of Tuition-Free Community College. Educational Policy, 0895904820951119.
Murphy, R., Scott-Clayton, J., & Wyness, G. (2019). The end of free college in England: Implications for enrolments, equity, and quality. Economics of Education Review, 71, 7-22.
Perna, L. W., Leigh, E. W., & Carroll, S. (2017). “Free college:” A new and improved state approach to increasing educational attainment? American Behavioral Scientist, 61(14), 1740-1756.
The Aspen Institute. (2015, July 4). Should college be free? YouTube, Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNsPcWQtGKo
