LEARNING UNIT WINDOWS

Should College Be Free?

Should College Be Free?

By: Joslynn Gaffney

Economic Background Affecting Finance:

More Educated People:

If college was free, students could focus on applying to their dream colleges instead of worring about finnaces and not being happy with a safety school.

Some of the smartest minds could be in those struggling communities, but due to unreachable prices, they may never reach their untapped potential.

Text Evidence

Should College Be Free?

Should College Be Free?

Pros

Equal Oppurtunities:

Fewer Student Loans:

If students who didn't have access to the right funds could have more access to scholarships, They would be more likely to complete a college education.

Too Much Debt To Reach Personal Goals

"Since affordability is a major issue for so many people when it comes to attending college, the playing field has not always been equal.A lot of the brightest minds in the world stem from low-income households, but that shouldn’t hold them back from continuing their education. If there was an equal opportunity to attend school, then everyone would have the chance to go to school. Affordable education is a major step towards equality.

Who does the free tuition actually help, if the students that need help already get the help they need?

Would a free college tuition affect work ethic

Lowering/ eliminating college prices could potentially take away its value

"Tuition-free co llege will decrease completion rates, leaving students without the benefits of a full college education and degree."

Should College Be Free?

Should College Be Free?

Cons

Could Free College lower the acedemic expectation of the students?

Just because you recieve a college education doesn't determine whether you'll find success in a career after college

Would free tuition help lessen the already lengthy cost

Evidence shows that if more students go to college it could cause some of them to underperform causing to college's repretation in decline.

https://www.procon.org/hedlines/free-college-top-3-pros-and-cons/ https://www.procon.org/headlines/free-college-top-3-pros-and-cons/ https://www.procon.org/headlines/free-college-top-3-pros-and-cons/ https://www.procon.org/headlines/free-college-top-3-pros-and-cons/ https://www.procon.org/headlines/free-college-top-3-pros-and-cons/ https:s/free-college-top-3-pros-and-cons/

Ciatation

Ciatation

Pros

Cons

https://collegerealitycheck.com/should-college-be-free-or-not/

https://www.procon.org/headlines/free-college-top-3-pros-and-cons/

"https://www.aier.org/article/why-free-college-is-a-terrible-idea/

https://www.uopeople.edu/blog/5-reasons-why-college-should-be-free/

https://www.educationnext.org/dont-ruin-college-by-making-it-free-threats-quality-innovation/

https://www.procon.org/headlines/free-college-top-3-pros-and-cons/

https://www.uopeople.edu/blog/pros-and-cons-of-lowering-college-tuition/#:~:text=Firstly%2C%20you%20have%20to%20pay,profits%20are%20of%20utmost%20importance.

Thank You

Thank You

"But college is already free to the lowest-income students, who benefit from generous state and federal grants, as well as private scholarships from their college or university. According to a recent Urban Institute report, around 27% of students who are currently enrolled in college do not face any cost for tuition or fees. Additional spending to make college universally free will necessarily flow to more well-off students who weren’t already benefiting from the existing means-tested programs."

"Along with technological progressions comes a shift in the workforce. Most automated jobs are replacing low-skill workers. Automation is spreading quickly across positions that require repetition, like back-office tasks. However, automation is not meant to replace the entire workforce. Instead, the needs of most economies are shifting to require a more skilled workforce, with people who have good analytical skills and creative thinking abilities. These skills are both taught and honed with a college education. If more people could attend college for free, then the workforce will expand."

Fewer Student Loans

Statistics

"If tuition is free, students will take on significantly fewer student loans. Student loan debt in the United States is almost $1.75 trillion. 45 million Americans have student loan debt, and 7.5 million of those borrowers are in default. The average 2019 graduate owed $28,950 in college loans. Approximately 92% of US student loans are owned by the US Department of Education."

"40% of students opt out of top- choice schools becuase of money and they tend to have a lower graduation rate."

"Among all dropouts, up tp 38% of them cite fincanial constraints as the cause- and a third of them quit college even before their sophmore year.

"When students are not worried about money, they can focus better on their studies. Even when students have loans and financial aid, they may find themselves stuck worrying about how they will have to pay them back in the future. This added stress can negatively impact their focus during the time when they are supposed to be learning."

"If college were free, then no graduating high school students would have to consider the cost when building a college list or deciding whether or not they will go to college — everyone would probably apply straight to their dream schools." (https://collegerealitycheck.com/should-college-be-free-or-not/)

"First, “free college” would completely sever the financial connection between the seller (colleges) and the customer (students). With the full expense of college falling on third parties (the taxpayers), students would no longer have any incentive to economize. Neither would colleges. As former Harvard University president Derek Bok has written, “College presidents share a common trait with gambling addicts and exiled royalty – there is never enough money.” If college presidents no longer have to worry about losing students because their schools’ tuition and fees are too high, the only remaining constraint on their spending would be how much money they can wheedle out of Uncle Sam. With “free college,” still more of our limited resources would be drawn into higher education, but the cost would be spread out over the taxpaying public.

"Most students graduate with a massive amount of debt. For example, in the U.S., the average student debt per person is $31,172. 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."

If colleges had no tuition, how would it make up the cost

"But do these benefits outweigh the tremendous cost? Many on the right worry about the economic weight of a free-college regime. It’s difficult to estimate how much it would cost, but according to Sanders, even just to replace the current revenue collected from public college tuition, we’d need to come up with $70 billion per year. The real cost would undoubtedly be higher due to increased enrollment. To put that in perspective, the same $70 billion would allow the U.S. to double our current spending on SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and related programs aimed at eliminating hunger."

"On average, 2021-2022 in-state tuition at a 4-year public college cost $10,740 per year. Fees, room, and board for on-campus housing are another $11,950 . Books and supplies are another $1,240, transportation another $1,230, and other expenses cost another $2,170. Without tuition, college still costs an average of $16,590 per year.

"Tuition isn’t the only, or even the most important, barrier to enrollment for low-income students. The rest of life’s expenses—food, clothing, housing, transportation—for oneself, and often a family, are what stand in the way between many young people and a degree. For them, free college isn’t enough. Rather than make college free for all, those funds should be spent to offset these non-tuition costs for the poorest students through expanded Pell Grants, the federal need-based grant program."

Statistics

Most students graduate with a massive amount of debt. For example, in the U.S., the average student debt per person is $31,172. 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."

"If everyone can attend college, does education lose its value? College degrees serve as a signal to employers and make the hiring process inherently differentiated between college graduates and those who didn’t get a degree. Will college lose its importance if everyone can go and you don’t really have to pay for it?"

"Second, people usually don’t put as much care or effort into things they get for free as they do with things they are paying for. When it comes to college studies, those with a monetary stake in them will predictably bear down much more than will those who are paying nothing from their own pockets. Over the decades, we have seen a sharp decline in the number of hours college students put into their coursework , and it’s easy to imagine a further decline in effort by students if they are attending college for free.

"Another adverse consequence of free college would be a further degradation of the college curriculum. In the days before the government started to subsidize college with grants and easy loans, most schools had (and prided themselves on) a demanding curriculum that required students to learn about many aspects of Western Civilization (its literature, fine arts, history, and philosophical foundations), as well as some rigorous math and science courses. Over the decades, however, most schools have relaxed their standards, making formerly demanding courses optional and permitting a profusion of trendy, popular, and often politically charged courses."

More Educated Society

"When people are more educated, they can solve problems better. This means that society can progress at a faster rate. Additionally, people with education can better understand the history of their society and its current economic conditions. As such, they may be more inclined to participate in politics and improve their country."