Should governments pay for college?

Free college leads to greater completion rates, which would result in a more educated population. We know college degrees benefit individuals. Earning a degree can result in as much as a 25% wage increase within a year of graduating. College graduates earn almost twice as much annually as high school graduates.

Why should government pay for college?

Free College Could Help Lessen the Current Inequality Gap

And some even have to drop out because they do not have the ability to pay for tuition for all four years. In fact, over 50% of students drop out of public universities because they can't afford it!

What would happen if the government paid for college tuition?

Tuition-free college will help decrease crippling student debt. 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…

Why should taxpayers pay for college?

Taxpayers should subsidize public colleges and universities for a number of reasons including that, unlike, their private counterparts that charge high tuition fees, public colleges and universities do not charge high tuition fees; they rely on taxpayer subsidies to fund their operations; it offers persons unable to ...

How much money would the government lose if college was free?

Less than 1% of the $5.3 trillion annual federal budget could be used to make college free for all. A First-Dollar tuition-free program would cost $58 billion the year it is implemented.

Why the government should pay for college.

Should the government make college free for everyone?

The benefits of free college include greater educational access for underserved students, a healthier economy, and reduced loan debt. Drawbacks include higher taxes, possible overcrowding, and the threat of quality reduction.

What would happen if tuition was free?

If college tuition was free in the United States, it could have a significant impact on the country's economy and society. It could increase access to higher education and help reduce student debt, which is a major financial burden for many Americans.

Why shouldn't the government pay for college tuition?

The government should not pay for everyone's college because it is unfair to those who can easily afford it, taxes will go through the roof, and will inhibit a lesser education if it is free for everyone.

Why college tuition should not be lowered?

Arguments Against Lowering Tuition

Firstly, you have to pay the staff and administration, as well as the overhead costs to keep the campus running. Secondly, many universities are for-profit and run as a business. Therefore, profits are of utmost importance.

Should the cost of college be reduced?

So far, I have argued that the price for students from low-income families should be zero, and for high-income students the price should be no more than the institution's average expenditure per student. Students with incomes between these two extremes should pay a price somewhere in between these two values.

Why isn't college free in America?

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.

Why free college would increase equality?

Increase Equality

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.

Can America afford free college?

The cost of providing free college at public institutions in the U.S. is estimated at around $680 billion a year, or about 1 percent of last year's $6.82 trillion in federal spending. That's compared to $782 billion spent on defense and $829 billion spent on Medicare.

Who should pay higher education?

In 2010, Americans overwhelming believed that parents and students were responsible for the costs of higher education. Less than a decade later, the percentage of Americans who believed that federal or state/local government should be the primary financial contributor has more than doubled.

How does the government play a role in college?

Today, the federal government oversees a massive student financial aid portfolio, enforces civil rights laws, and enacts policies that influence higher education in numerous important ways.

Where is college free in the world?

State universities in the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Norway, Saudi Arabia and Sweden do not charge international students with tuition fees for Ph.D. degrees and in some cases for bachelor's and master's degrees as well.

Why is high tuition a problem?

Tuition costs have risen at a faster rate than the costs of medical services, child care, and housing. Towering tuition costs prevent many students from pursuing a college degree. And for those that do pursue a degree, it often means shouldering a debt burden that lasts decades.

Why is college tuition a problem?

There are a lot of reasons — growing demand, rising financial aid, lower state funding, the exploding cost of administrators, bloated student amenities packages. The most expensive colleges — Columbia, Vassar, Duke — will run you well over $50K a year just for tuition. That doesn't even include housing!

Why is college tuition so expensive?

Ultimately, persistent inflation, rising administrative costs and reduced state funding for higher education keep college costs high– and they continue rising.

What are the cons of paying for college?

What is the biggest concern about paying for college?

Parents and students are most concerned with debt when they apply to colleges and universities. More than two in five (42%) respondents said that paying for the degree is their biggest worry, while 27 percent were most concerned with how they'll pay for the degree if they get into their first-choice college.

Who is to blame for rising college tuition?

Employers also contributed to this trend because of their increasing preference for degree-holding candidates. The pressure to pursue higher education and the competitive admissions process means students will pay higher amounts in tuition, prompting colleges to raise their prices.

Who would benefit most from free college tuition?

Low-Income Families and Individuals

Such a change could ensure that higher education is accessible to all and not just the financially capable. More students may concentrate on learning, developing new ideas, and improving society as tuition worries are lessened.

Who made college cost money?

This precipitated the statewide university systems California has today. California colleges and universities stopped being tuition-free when Gov. Ronald Reagan cut finding and proposed charging fees in the 1960s.

Was college ever free?

In the 1860s, some of the universities that were established through federal land grants offered free tuition, as did other institutions that followed suit. In 1847, Baruch College in New York was founded as the Free Academy, marking the first free public institution of higher education across the nation.