It’s time to ground the lofty idea of “free college” with practical tactics. The funding is available, and other countries have paved the way. Why is it still a debate in the US?
Free education has been a significant subject in recent political campaigns, opinion articles, and leftist spaces on college campuses. Biden’s pledge to forgive student loans was a crucial factor in the success of his 2020 campaign. Despite tactics and grants existing to assist low-income students, college education in the U.S. remains very far from being free.
This article will outline the morals, the matters of fact, and, most controversially, the money involved in what would be a collective leap of faith: free college for all citizens.
The morals
Why should the United States embrace free tuition for public higher education nationwide?
Simply put, free college would be a virtuous investment in this nation’s future. It can potentially reduce crime, improve social esteem, and create a better-educated population. It would also be a strategic move in leveling inequality for non-white, first-generation, and low-income students. Not to mention, it aligns with the constitutional beliefs of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all.
Loans can temporarily help students get through college; however, they can become a burden later on by negatively affecting credit scores. If students don’t secure a well-paying salary after graduation, paying off loans in time can become unrealistic. When the ratio of monthly debt payments is higher than monthly income, it can become harder to qualify for a mortgage down the line. On top of rapid inflation, student debt creates another obstacle for young adults to becoming homeowners.
When countries around the world, not limited to Germany, Norway, Brazil, Argentina, Austria, Sweden, and France, have either drastically cut tuition fees or eliminated them entirely, there’s no reason why the U.S. should not follow in their footsteps.
College degrees are already becoming worthless. Wouldn’t cutting tuition plummet the value of a college degree to that of a high school degree?
College degrees still statistically translate to higher earnings; however, the necessity of one for success has become increasingly more questionable.
This question is based on the stance that the primary reason to attend a university is to secure a job that will provide more financial opportunity. What this ignores, however, are both the individual and social opportunities that arise from the college experience in itself.
Attending a university allows young, impressionable minds to develop skills, techniques, and understandings that both assist them in their self-actualization process while also enriching their community and family lineages. Basing a “successful college education” solely on securing a high-paying job postgraduation undermines the important aspects of community building, creative freedom, and enlightening new insights that accompany the college experience.
Obtaining a college degree opens up many opportunities, including making important connections, joining organizations, and gaining experience through paid and unpaid positions.
Wouldn’t subsidizing tuition detrimentally affect student effort, making students less motivated to complete their degree?
This question assumes students work harder when they know they’re paying a high price for their education.
Assuming students would minimize their effort because they know they’re not being buried in debt is futile. Without the crushing weight of financial challenges regarding tuition, students would not only be able to enjoy their experience more fully but also lighten the pressure of finishing in four years. It would give them more wiggle room to experiment with various classes and programs until they find one that aligns with their self-actualization.
Rather than being dictated by their financial situation, students would be free to attend university on their own time. This would theoretically improve their effort. It would also minimize the pressure of gap years before or in between their time at college. Moreover, the option to pursue multiple degrees or passions would no longer be based on their ability to pay for them.
The matters of fact
What does “free college” actually mean?
For starters, free college would mean eliminating tuition fees for public universities nationwide. Germany, Brazil, Spain, Argentina, Austria, and Sweden are just a few countries that have eliminated tuition fees entirely.
Students could still potentially be responsible for housing and supplies. With free tuition, however, grant money could be primarily invested in providing these for students who need them.
Wouldn’t “free college” be detrimental to the quality of education?
The answer to this question would depend on the government’s ability to keep up with the rapid growth within institutions that would follow in the wake of free tuition. Some opponents suggest that universities would become overcrowded, overwhelming classrooms and starving the institutions of the funding needed to keep up with the growth.
The idea of “free tuition” could not come on its own. It would require a complete revaluation of how this country funds and prioritizes college education. A shift in everything from government spending to the role that college education plays within our society would need to be revolutionized. Implementing free tuition without restructuring our understanding and education strategies in the U.S. would set us up to fail.
It’s important to remember that the absurdity of financial burdens associated with education reflects a larger dysfunction within Capitalist society. Hence why cutting tuition would require major restructuring. Though it would be far from simple, it would be a heartfelt social investment, necessary for paving the way for future generations to improve the quality of life in the US.
Eliminating tuition would not eliminate debt. How would students pay for housing, transportation, books, and supplies?
Housing costs are another significant roadblock for students receiving an education. Reports from the College Board revealed that between 2010 and 2020, the cost of housing rose 14% more than inflation.
When students receive grants and/or loans for their education, the majority, if not all of the money goes toward tuition. This averages anywhere from $10-30 thousand dollars. With free tuition, students could put their grant money toward housing and supplies. Loans would still be possible to cover additional expenses.
As stated before, however, we could not implement free tuition alone. We would need to conduct a complete reevaluation of the role and importance of education in the U.S. This reevaluation would ideally produce more innovative ideas to cut costs for aspiring college graduates. Making housing and meals both more affordable and accessible would be necessary.
College alumni, local communities, and students’ families could help to create drives and fundraisers to assist enrolled students. Without the financial burden of tuition, families and individuals would be more lenient in donating. This funding could go directly to the college or to organizations that would help assist the students.
The money
The question everyone’s been waiting for: where does the money come from?
According to a Georgetown University Study, eliminating public tuition would have a first-year cost of $50 billion. Over the course of 11 years, it would cost around $683 billion.
In the 2023-2024 school year, students nationwide received $160.2 billion in grant aid alone. That’s over triple the amount that Georgetown projected the first-year cost to cover tuition would be.
Students borrowed an additional $99 billion through federal and nonfederal loans.
If free tuition were to be implemented, much of the funding invested in these grants could be redirected into wiping out tuition. Grants would still exist, but the amount offered would be lowered since tuition would no longer be a factor. Grant money could be invested in housing, supplies, and day-to-day expenses for students.
If so much federal spending already goes into grants and scholarships, why should we be concerned with free tuition?
Aid money doesn’t always go into the pockets of citizens who are in most need of it.
A 2019 report done by the New York Times revealed that over one-third of the aid money distributed by the federal government in 2016 “disproportionately helped wealthier families, who were likely to send their children to college without government help.”
This portion of funding went toward tax credits and other tax benefits. Educational tax credits are supposed to assist with the costs of higher education by reducing the amount owed on tax returns. Lower-class families do not benefit from these tax credits because the majority do not make enough to claim them. Even most middle-class families do not pay enough in eligible education expenses to receive the break. Wealthier families, who are most likely to send their children to private institutions, benefit the most from these tax breaks.
Another reason to eliminate tuition is to simplify the overall process of paying for college for everybody. Financial aid exists for families in need, but only for those who know how to navigate the system. This complicates the process for first-generation students who may struggle to receive the funding they need because of the complexities of the financial aid system.
Eliminating tuition would be the simplest way to ensure equal opportunity for all students, regardless of socioeconomic class, educational background, race or ethnicity.
Why are Americans still debating free college when the collective billionaires based in the U.S. have a combined wealth of $6.22 trillion?
Great question. The debate over free college in the U.S. is not so much a problem of “where does the money come from?” The money exists, and the funding is available. What needs to take place is a large-scale cultural and financial revolution regarding wealth distribution in the United States.
Reevaluating how the U.S. invests taxpayer dollars, from military to healthcare to police funding and correctional facilities, would be necessary. It would also mean altering how the 902 billionaires in the U.S. hold, spend, and distribute their massive incomes. According to the Georgetown Study, less than ten percent of their collective wealth would cover free public tuition for all students for eleven years, without any government assistance.
Despite the importance of free education, many pressing matters in the U.S. require a significant revaluation. Monopolized corporations contributing to climate change, U.S. aid money for war and genocide in the Middle East, and modern slavery in Africa in the name of big tech and A.I advancement are just a few of the pressing issues that the U.S. is directly responsible for.
Free education is necessary. But its implementation should be aligned with the motivation to drastically change these systems based on Capitalism, which are responsible for such atrocities. A well-educated future generation, committed to revolutionizing society in the U.S. and across the world, is an idealistic investment for the future of humanity.
