College is like a strong, passionate feeling.
Some students think about it throughout their high school years. Those who wish to go to college often face high tuition costs. While some believe tuition should be free and others say it shouldn’t, the pros and cons must be considered.
Student loan forgiveness has recently been implemented under President Biden’s administration. According to whitehouse.gov, the SAVE plan under the Biden administration will cancel debt for borrowers who have been paying back student loans for at least ten years and took out less than $12,000 in loans.
Putting a price on education encourages students to make the most of their time in college. If colleges were free, students wouldn’t put as much effort into their education. The American Institute for Economic Research (AIER) states they have observed a decline in the number of hours students put into their classwork. AIER has found a 33 percent decrease in hours spent on classwork over 42 years, and they estimate that the hours would continue to reduce if free tuition was implemented.
However, it’s not just about the students. Colleges get most of their funds from students paying tuition, meaning that if colleges were free, they wouldn’t get that money. This would make it challenging for colleges to provide their students with top-quality education. Colleges currently receive money in other ways but they don’t provide substantial amounts of money that colleges require. Division 1 institutions reported a total revenue of around $17.5 billion from athletics in 2022. This money is put towards students’ education and opportunities, but it isn’t substantial for colleges as they use up to $700 billion a year.
Around the world, there are over 20 countries with free college, including Brazil, Germany, Finland, and more. Other countries offering free tuition raises the question of why we also can’t have free college. These changes in other countries took decades to implement, and there are still arguments about them today.
As a result of tuition being removed in 2014, German university enrollment went up 22 percent, and graduation rates rose almost 15 percent, according to daad.de. However, with free tuition comes raised taxes. Germany faced a 5 percent tax rate increase after implementing free tuition, according to heritage.org.
Free college isn’t ideal. While the idea of free tuition may be tempting, it’s pivotal to recognize the consequences it would have on our country.
