A2 Economy
4/2/19
Mr. Reuter
Should Universities Offer Free Tuition?
Christal Phelps
Should Universities offer free tuition? This question has become very controversial, especially as college tuition continues to skyrocket. The immediate answer to this question for most people, especially in the age group of 16-25 would be absolutely yes. No hesitation. And with tuition price and debt form college state-wide shown below, how could it not be? However I would like to argue why this answer to this simple question may not be as simple and obvious at first thought. I argue the idea that it should be up to the universities discretion along with the urge to be cautious when introducing free tuition to students.
The concern of most families with a high school graduate is how to pay for college tuition. It can be overwhelming and disheartening, especially for those who cannot afford college. And it is seen in the chart below just how much more college tuition has increased over the years. Each year college tuition is increasing by an average of about 3% according to Hillary Hoffower, Business Outsider. Even nordic countries such as Norway and Germany provide free tuition colleges. With these shocking and large numbers, free college tuition has never looked sweeter.
My first reason as to why it is not the most ideal situation to have free tuition, is the simple question; where will the money come from? Most would answer with solutions including, taxes, government subsidies to colleges, or the government providing a price ceiling on tuition. These seem like great solutions too, especially for the argument of bright minds that could contribute to the economy not being able to afford college, and even less student debt which could lead to a growth in the middle class and providing economic growth. But even with these potential positives that free tuition may allude to there are many, if not more economic downfalls that can occur from free tuition, especially provided by the government.
If people were to pay taxes for students’ completely free tuition, the tax percentage would rise significantly due to the sheer number of people getting degrees and graduate degrees. If the government subsidized colleges there would be a drop in the quality of education that students receive. This is an example of the invisible hand as the institutions and professors receiving these subsidies would be less motivated to give students a good education because they are most likely not being paid as much as if there was tuition charged. Providing a price ceiling could lead to a shortage of spots in colleges making them significantly more competitive as well as the decrease in quality in the education students receive.
A few more reason why colleges should not provide free tuition is the determination of who gets into colleges. Diversity is encouraged in society as a whole so as strains of free tuition being provided to only a few students, these debates about diversity could arise. A more trivial argument is the responsibility and money managing skills students will have to learn if they don’t have to pay for college tuition which is also better for the economy because then students can participate successfully in the market. Students will also have more motivation to participate and earn a better grade and degree if they are paying for college because the opportunity cost of getting a degree is that much more important to them.
However I do not think that all colleges should move toward free tuition as it is best suited and positive for only certain situations. If colleges do decide to offer free tuition, I believe that it is a great opportunity for a certain group of people. And these free tuitions can be properly funded by scholarships, nonprofit colleges and donations.
Overall I think that it is best if most colleges and institutions avoid free tuition as it can have many negative consequences. And that only colleges be responsible for their own tuition price reductions and providing free tuitions. I do believe that the methods of financial aid, loans and scholarships are appropriate enough to achieve a suitable relief for students worried about financial costs for their education as it has served well for the majority of graduates.
Works Cited
Goetz, Lisa. “6 Countries with Virtually Free College Tuition.” Investopedia, Investopedia, 12 Mar. 2019, www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/080616/6-countries-virtually-free-college-tuition.asp.
Hoffower, Hillary. “College Is More Expensive than It's Ever Been, and the 5 Reasons Why Suggest It's Only Going to Get Worse.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 8 July 2018, www.businessinsider.com/why-is-college-so-expensive-2018-4.
Kurfiss, Deborah. “Should College Be Free? We Answer The Burning Question.” Student Debt Relief | Student Loan Forgiveness, Student Debt Relief | Student Loan Forgiveness, 27 Mar. 2019, www.studentdebtrelief.us/news/should-college-be-free/.
“Why College Tuition Should Be Free.” The Odyssey Online, 7 Sept. 2017, www.theodysseyonline.com/college-tuition-free-millennial.
“Why Free College Is a Bad Idea.” Norton Norris, 14 June 2018, nortonnorris.com/free-college-bad-idea/.
I thought it was interesting that you mentioned everyone saying absolutely yes to the idea of free tuition. Because yes, we all will struggle with paying for college so we don’t want to go through the struggle. I’d agree that it is an important skill for us to learn as our whole lives we will be dealing with money and it should not be a new concept exiting college. Contradicting this message, you said that in some cases there should be the allowance of some people getting free tuition. But then wouldn’t those people you can not afford college miss on the opportunity to learn how to handle money. As soon as they exit college they will not be handed free money anymore and won’t know how to take care of their money situation. Therefore the idea of scholarships and loans seems like a good idea to give the less fortunate help but completely ridding of the issue for them might actually be causing more issues.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your argument here. Although it might seem much easier on people to make college free for students, it really isn't that feasible without taxes skyrocketing. After all, there are so many colleges out there and each college costs so much to keep it maintained and functioning well. One additional thing is that if college was paid for by government, students wouldn't have as much motivation to actually try in college. Students are motivated to work hard and get out of college as fast as they can in order to save their money. However, if college was free, this motivation would be gone and a lot of the effort that schools put in to provide a good education would be wasted.
ReplyDeleteWhile it would be nice to not worry about college debt, I completely agree that colleges should not offer free tuition. Like stated, the student would not care as much about their schooling since it is not their money. As a result, there will be less motivation to go to classes and earn proper grades. Additionally, what would happen if the student failed repeatedly out of a certain class or program? Wouldn’t all the taxpayer money go to waste since the student is not even completing their degree and not helping society become more advanced or more efficient due to their incomplete education. Thus, what if thousands of students went down this path? The costs would build and build on taxpayers, whereas this could be avoided and utilized elsewhere to better society. Finally, if colleges do offer free tuition, it would not be justified to the student who would be working hard to earn scholarships and have less college debt compared to the student who is slacking because college would be free. Thus, there could be less competition to try to get into college because their spot is free.
ReplyDeleteSurprisingly, I find myself agreeing with you. Though free tuition for everyone would aid the financial burden of college, the negative consequences are much too high. I agree with you that free tuition should be offered based on need. There are already many colleges, such as Stanford, who offer free tuition to students with financial issues to provide them with an equal chance at a higher education. The invisible hand is often forgotten when discussing free tuition. The question of how free tuition will affect the learning environment cannot be ignored. The finances of college are a great way to open up new adults to financial management and teaches many college students the value of money. Overall, I agree that college tuition should not be completely free, but I also could argue that it is needed for some students based on financial need.
ReplyDeleteCurrently, a few of the more prestigious higher education colleges do offer free tuition to students whose parents have a net income of under $125,000. This was also put into place in Stanford a few weeks ago. Is is more important to have free tuition if you attend an ivy league? Making free tuition takes away some of the financial stress that students have to deal with, especially when they have enough stress for passing classes; so I do believe that free tuition should be available on top of grants, scholarships, and aid. To fund of this, the money could come from taxes as making tuition free will bring a higher demand in the education as prices are lower, which will result in a more educated society. The future benefits of the improved society will outweigh the costs from the taxes. However, if free tuition isn't the best idea, should there be price ceilings on how much tuition can cost?
ReplyDeleteMost high school and college students do agree with the concept of free tuition because they cannot afford for college. I think that colleges should have free tuition's for people who really can't afford it like for students who don't have job, or if their parents have low income comparing to other parents.But everyone could afford for tuition if they are not expensive. A lot of high school students attend four years college, which means they pay a lot than the people who attend two years college. According to your graph, the public colleges tuition's cost $10k which is a lot. Most of us can't even afford that much because we are also going to have other expense like paying for dorms, electricity bill, car, car insurance and more, so including this all would add up to $18k and a normal college student cannot afford this much,. Talking about private colleges, private college usually cost double the public colleges. Why? because people usually think that private colleges provide better education than public colleges because they have top-notch professors to teach each subject, have a good chance to entering into merit scholarships, and other financial incentives. Usually after seeing the benefits of private colleges, most people want to join private colleges but they are expensive what makes them different, nothing, they are providing same education as other public colleges except attending private colleges gives you a high chance in entering into or for applying scholarships. In conclusion, I think both public and private colleges should reduce their tuition prices because a common person cannot afford this much for tuition, to afford for tuition's people should either take student loans or sell there houses to afford for tuition's.
ReplyDeleteWhen looking and applying for colleges it is disheartening to know that I am limited to schools that I simply cannot afford. A particular school I got into and dreamt about going to is about $70,000 a year. Personally, I think this amount of money is incredibly unreasonble, however this school is private and does not recieve any state funding. Because our taxes are not paying for the school, it remains at a higher price. State schools are less expensive, but in reality, parents have been paying for them for years. I find it frustrating that students are limited to certain schools because of cost and there are limited financialaid opportunities. For instance, some students recieve no financial aid because their parents make a larger income, however financial aid officers do not see how much parents are actually paying, despite their income. I understand your argument that students should learn personal financial responsibility, but I don't believe that has to mean signing up for hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt. Alternativevly, I can understand that if tuition was free or cheaper, individuals would be less likely to take out student loans. If there is a widespread decrease in the demand for loanable funds, there will be widespread negative effects on the economy as the interest rate would fall below equilibrium rate. So although the price of a college education can be frustrating, student loans are essential to the effectiveness and functionality of banks.
ReplyDeleteI think that college students shouldn’t have to pay tuition because it is very expensive and causes lots of students to have to take out loans. Tuition is a big opportunity cost because a lot of students have to decide to use there money for college instead of using it for something else, such as buying food or paying for housing. The amount of people who go to college is a lot, but if they make tuition free the demand for college would increase a ton. People may argue that they shouldn’t make tuition free because then how are they going to pay the professor, but think about it we don’t have to pay to go to public High Schools, but those teachers still get paid, so there would be other ways for professor to be able to get paid.
ReplyDeleteFrom the perspective of a high schooler, college can be affordable to everyone. Maybe not the most prestigious school or your dream school but with financial aid, you can cut a significant amount of your tuition off. Also, college tuition prices rising on average of 3% per year is due to the growing amount of financial aid available to students. In America today there is actually more financial aid available than we really need. Every year there is money left over, but because of a growing number of high school students enrolling in college. As for now the system is fair and free tuition will only raise taxes and from a citizen standpoint, give us less money to put into our economy.
ReplyDeleteBefore I read this, I, like most people who do not understand the nuances of the subject, had no qualms about not having to worry about paying for my college education. However, after I read it, I realized that there are alot of consequences and/or changes that would have to occur for colleges to offer free tuition. At this point, I am almost 50/50 on the topic. I think that there is no problem with colleges charging tuition--as that is what oftentimes creates a good learning environment (buildings, workers, teachers, etc) but because the tuition costs are so high, the impacts on students are almost as negative as if there would be no tuition, and society as a whole is part of the collateral damage. Only so much aid and financial help is given to students who simply cannot afford the exorbitant cost of college, so this only perpetuates class differences that are apparent in society today. To elaborate, kids who are poor have a very difficult road to not becoming poor because they do not have the money needed to go to college and get a good education necessary for them to receive a higher income. So, free tuition in these circumstances would be a positive thing. However, like you mentioned, there are a lot of negative things associated with free tuition as well-like much higher taxes, so honestly, this is where I become indecisive about this. In totality, I think that tuition shouldn't be free for all people but the cost of it should either be lowered or there should be more aid given to students who need it so that they are not saddled with extreme debt after obtaining their degrees.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with colleges not having free tuition. If you have free tuition some students might feel that they don't need to put in as much work. That's due to them not putting in any of their own money towards it and aren't inclined about worrying with failing classes. Yes, there will be students that are more inclined to worry about their grades and try to do the best that they can. Majority of this time those students are probably paying for their tuition which is a great motivator since they don't want to be left with a lot of debt. I completely agree with this stance, and even though those other countries have free tuition, I'm curious how much their taxes are currently.
ReplyDeleteI agree that creating free tuition will hurt the economy in the long run. But colleges across the US need to realize that their admissions will increasingly lower because not everyone from out of state can afford their outrageous college tuition prices. It is unreal how much out of state tuition has risen. In Arizona out of state tuition used to be the price of Madison but as not risen to over $50,000 a year. Colleges are only hurting themselves but not altering how much tuition is from the perspective of an out of state student. In the end colleges should think of lowering tuition for all students are provide aid to more students than those with parents that don't make as much income.
ReplyDeleteI agree that colleges should not provide free tuition to every student. I think in certain situations, where maybe the student has a bad financial situation and they could in no way afford to attend that college, they should be given very largely reduced tuition. But, this also brings up the problem of how are they going to pay for books, dorm fees and the normal costs of a college student. Many campuses are located in cities with high costs of living, if the student can barley get by at home, how are they going to be able to pay for food and living necessities in an environment that raises prices because of all the college students living in that area. I think if a student is in need of a lot of financial aid, they should also apply for many scholarships and grants to help them attend school.
ReplyDeleteI agree that colleges should not provide free tuition, but I believe that more opportunities for financial aid and scholarships for students is really important. Free tuition may be a bit overboard, but students who put in that little extra work to boost GPA or ACT should be provided with more financial aid and scholarship opportunities that saves them some even more cash in the pocket. While there are students who have their tuition payed by their parents, others have to pay their own tuition and providing more scholarship opportunities will motivate those students to do even better in school to get any extra money for college.
ReplyDeleteColleges should not offer free tuition for many reasons. While the concept sounds nice because, who really wants to pay thousands of dollars for school? But in reality that is just how it has to be. Colleges need a lot of money to pay the teachers and keep the campus running smoothly. These high education prices are just the way the world is trending and making college free would just add more problems than it would be solving.
ReplyDeleteThis article brings up so many good points, but one thing that I am wondering is how that would affect tuition for private colleges. Generally private colleges have higher tuition than public colleges, but if public colleges were made free, then private colleges would probably have to drop their prices to keep students coming. That would be a problem because they would struggle to pay to keep their campus running without the higher tuition. If in the future there is free public universities would that be the end of private colleges? There are private elementary and high schools in the US but it is much less common than private colleges.
ReplyDeleteTo put it bluntly, this is a symptom of a broken system. The American School System, not at all the fault of individual teachers, drills it into our heads that we MUST get a 4 year degree to contribute to society as a whole. However, that isn't the truth. Now yes, low-skill jobs are on the fall due to the rising prevalence of automation but the drilling of university into our heads as left a weird opening in the middle, the trades. Electricians, Plumbers, carpenters, etc., are all jobs that can't be automated with current technology, at least not in an affordable way, but have seen large declines in young people holding those jobs due to the constant insistence of the american school system that we all have to go to 4 year university. In short, the growing social belief that university is the only option for a school is the cause of this increase in price for school and the subsequent increase in debt. So, no, schools should not provide free tuition but people should begin to look elsewhere for jobs to drive the universities to lower their prices.
ReplyDeleteAnother solution to paying for "free" college that would not require raising taxes would be repurposing the money our government already spends on attempting to decrease the cost of college and failing. An article written for The Atlantic in 2014 (a bit dated, I know) that used data from the Department of Education collected in 2012 estimated that the total cost of tuition for public colleges would cost around $62.6 billion. Seeing as in 2013 about $69 billion were spent on financial aid programs for low income students and tax breaks the cost starts to look much more manageable. It's not a matter of making tuition free but redistributing the money we already spend on tuition in a more efficient way.
ReplyDeleteThe article: https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/01/heres-exactly-how-much-the-government-would-have-to-spend-to-make-public-college-tuition-free/282803/
I think your post could have been aided by the inclusion of examples concerning countries that do have free college. If you don't think that free college is a good idea, then see if there's something you don't like about real world examples. This isn't a problem of not knowing what will happen, or having to guess at what the economic affects might be. There are two dozen countries that have college for free. Rather than guessing at what might happen based on some of what we've been taught, you could also look to these countries and apply that same knowledge to find out whether free college could work in the U.S.
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