Free. It is a word that excites many individuals, especially college students
who are generally struggling to pay for Ramon noodles, pencils, and socks. When
the word “free” is placed before the word “college,” many individuals attending
or preparing to attend a post-secondary institution passionately support the
idea.
The concept of a free
college education has been discussed by many politicians, such as Presidential
hopeful Senator Bernie Sanders. Sen. Sanders introduced the "College for All Act," a bill that would make
four-year public colleges and universities tuition-free. It sounds like great
idea, right? What student wouldn’t want to attend college in a manner that
would allow them to escape free from debt? What student wouldn’t want to focus
on their studies rather than paying the bills through three jobs? There is just
one issue, however: Bernie Sander’s idea would never actually work.
The first concern is the
price of free college. The idea would cost $70 billion per year, which is more
than twice what the federal government spends on Pell grants. Much of this money would be wasted on students who could
easily afford college (Bernie’s Bad College Idea). Free tuition would also
decrease the need for academic scholarships, meaning students would be
recognized for simply being accepted into a college, not for academic
achievement in either secondary or post-secondary school to earn a financial
reward.
Furthermore, providing
college classes for free creates cost inflation. Students will still have to
pay for additional services, such as room, board, and textbooks. Those services
will rise sharply in price. Sweden can be seen as an example in this case. Although
Sweden has eliminated college tuition, students leave college with more debt than
scholars in the United Kingdom, and graduate with only slightly lesser debt
than individuals in the United States (Why Free College is Really Expensive).
In addition, 85% of students graduate with debt in Sweden, while only 50% of
students do in the US. Also, Swedish graduates have the highest debt-to-income
ratio of any collection of students in the developed world (College in Sweden
is Free but Students Still Have a Ton of Debt).
College education free of
cost would make it difficult for private institutions to stay financially
stable enough to remain open. Since these private schools would be in battle
against free establishments, many private schools would see a massive drop in
students. This would decrease options for post-secondary education, placing
pressure on public schools to serve students successfully (Bernie’s Bad College
Idea).
The proposal will also
harm innovations such as online colleges and courses, which are on their way to
providing low-cost, superior college education for all individuals. Establishments
attempting to provide new forms of schooling will have to compete against free
public universities (Why Free College is Really Expensive). Online courses can
keep costs down for students who would rather live at home than pay for a dorm,
and it can eliminate gas prices for commuters. Yet online colleges will cease
to exist due to individuals turning to free public education systems.
Another concern is the
commitment level of students who are attending college for free. Many
individuals choose to attend class in an effort to not throw away money. If
college is free, students will have a lesser commitment to passing classes the
first time, showing up to their classes, and picking a major they want to
pursue rather than just taking courses for enjoyment or because their friend is
in it.
There is certainly an
issue with student debt. However, there are wiser ways to solve these issues
than allowing students to attend college for free. One alternative is loan
forgiveness. If students graduate with a respectable GPA and have a clean
record, certain loans will not have to be paid. This rewards students for merit
and positive behavior, rather than just handing all students a free education.
Free college sounds like an excellent idea.
Unfortunately, the practicality is low, and not everything in life can be
handed to individuals.
