Free Tuition

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Free tuition piece

Liam Tsukijima



Tuition is a necessary part of the post-secondary education system and must be kept in place to afford better practices and materials for students.  In 2015 former US president Barrack Obama proposed having free tuition for colleges, which caused a huge divide between many citizens.

In early 2015, president Obama had proposed a plan to lower the price of college tuition to zero, which would in turn benefit millions of students. This would allow those with a smaller income to still afford a good post-secondary education, leading to a more successful career. “It would benefit as many as 9 million students, and cost $80 billion over 10 years, with the federal government and states splitting the cost of subsidizing tuition.” (Washington Examiner, 2015, Paragraph 4)

Differing opinions are inevitable when discussing a subject such as paid tuition. If free college tuition were to be implemented, it would only shift the needed costs of education from a small group of taxpayers, the students, to all taxpayers.  “If you’re a young person, a college student or the parent of a soon-to-be college student, free tuition might sound like a great idea. The prominence of these proposals certainly warrants a closer look.” (Civitas Institute, 2016, Paragraph 4) Understandably, tuition prices can’t be too high. Higher tuition prices lead to lesser students being able to afford college education, but tuitions can’t be too low either, to keep costs in check.

Tuition money has become easier to obtain thanks to loans, increasing the demand for college education. With this increase in demand came an increase in the cost of tuition, creating a type of cycle where costs are necessary. “This easy money is the primary reason that college tuition costs have far outpaced inflation and gone up twice as fast as medical costs since 1985.” (Rapid City Journal, 2012, Paragraph 6)

It is true that free tuition would benefit more students, but it would force all taxpayers to contribute to better education, even those it doesn’t specifically matter to. It’s better that those who desire the education can properly receive it, without having to burden other taxpayers. Nothing in life is truly free, and you must pay for the things you wish to pursue, especially knowledge.



Lawler J. (2015). Obama lays out plan for tuition-free community college. Washington Examiner

Luebke B. (2016) Why Free College Tuition is a Bad Idea. Civitas Institute

Kahler R. (2012) College tuition an important piece to U.S. economy. Rapid City Journal

Comments

  1. CMNS 150 RONADINEFebruary 21, 2018 at 11:23 PM

    No one likes the thought of increased tax! I definitely don't. However, places like Scotland have benefited ever since the implication of free tuition in 1998. I know several Scottish graduates from Aberdeen under the age of 26 who are doctors, lawyers, engineers and professional sports players. Although, the tax rate is currently at 17.5% and there has been controversy between the Scottish regarding this increase in tax to support free tuition. There are pros and cons between free tuition and I believe that it should be provided to a certain extent. It shouldn't be abused to point where it loses its value.

    ReplyDelete
  2. CMNS 160 TiannaFebruary 22, 2018 at 6:16 PM

    As someone who wishes free tuition would be granted to all students, it was interesting to hear your thoughts on the matter. I feel like people tend to think of themselves or people close to them and how free tuition would be of the utmost benefit. It’s harder for people to see beyond that and realize tuition could be needed to keep things operating smoothly in the grand scheme of things. It is definitely something to think about.

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