Should College be Free?

     The debate about whether college should be free has been a dilemma that has been around for many years. Supporters state College should be for everyone, not just for the people that can afford it.They believe if tuition is free, it will encourage people to attend college, more students will be perusing their passions, yielding in a greater economy and society. Opponents, however, believe if tuition is made free, it would hurt the economy, lower the status of the degree, decrease the motivation to work hard, and it would increase taxes for everyone. While both sides make valid points, the tough question is how can we make college free for everyone?

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Perspective #1: Supporters of free college

    On the supporting side of the argument, support sates that making college free would fill in the gap of unequal opportunities. With tuition being free, everyone will have the equal chance to attend college and obtain a college degree. Deming, author of The Economics of Free College, believes that higher education benefits oneself, the economy and improves society. He mentions how “a college education is the best investment a young person can make since a return from a college degree is still near an all-time high of around 14 percent per year-double the long-term result in stocks.” Supporters use this to data to explain how higher education improves productivity, lowers crimes, and creates a stronger workforce, meaning that more educated citizens can adapt ti new industries and contribute to the economy. There were studies conducted by Angrist and Krueger (2018), Meghir and Palme (2005), Oreopoulos (2006) and Aryal, Buller and Lange (2019) that have shown that education increases productivity, which not only benefits the person but society as a whole. Deming emphasizes free college would be repaid over time through a stronger economy and higher tax contributions from graduates because students will ultimately reach higher wages therefore pay more in taxes. However, not everyone thinks that free college should be free. Opponents argue that while making college free sounds fair, it could actually create more problems; students won’t take school seriously, taxes will rise, and the economy will feel it.

 Perspective #2: Opponents of free college

    On the opposing side, people argue that making college free would cause more harm than good. According to Leef, from The Daily Economy, free tuition would put a huge financial burden on taxpayers and could raise taxes for everyone, even those that don’t attend college. Leef explains if college is free, college presidents no longer have to worry about losing students because tuition is too high, their focus will shift on how much money they can obtain from the government. Since money must come from somewhere, it will most likely come from working citizens. Opponents also worry that free college could lead to overcrowded campuses and less motivation for students to work hard. Lee states how a New York Reserve economist, Aysegul Sahin, made a case that the less students have to pay, the less they work. She continues to say “although subsidizing tuition increases enrollment rates, it reduces student effort,” which wastes government funding and resources. Many opponents believe that when something is free, it can lose its value, and students might not take their education seriously. They also argue that not every job requires a college degree, and pushing everyone toward a degree could make trade jobs less respected and harder to fill. Even though the opponents make strong points about the risks of free tuition, no solution was given. So how can both sides come together and make college fair for everyone?

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Similarities and Differences

    Both authors agree that higher education is important and that the cost of college has become a more serious issue for students and families. They agree that college plays a major role in person success and the nation’s future. David J. Deming explains that “a high-quality college education teaches critical thinking and abstract problem-solving” and that expanding access to higher education is “an urgent national priority” (The Economics of Free College, 2019). Similarity, Leef acknowledges that higher education helps build a skilled workforce but it is not entirely necessary. Deming and Leef agree that making college free could also potentially create a bigger issue if not done properly. Deming acknowledges if an inadequately designed plan to make college free is created students will not take education seriously and college graduate rates will still be low (Deming, 2019). Both agree something needs to be done to make it more affordable.

    However, they do not agree on their solutions. Deming supports that idea of free college or reduced tuition. He believes the government should see free college as an investment and not just a hand out. Free college will motivate people to attend college, graduate, get good paying jobs which will result in higher taxes that the government will collect. On the contrary, Leef warns that making college free will raise taxes for everyone, reduce students motivation and lower the value of the degree. Leef claims how the government has allowed for the college curriculums to change due to the increasing amounts of grants, loans, and aids (Leef, 2019). He says “over the decades, however, most schools have relaxed their standards, making formerly demanding courses optional and permitting a profusion of trendy, popular, and often political charged courses”, suggesting that if college is free, who knows how much worse college courses will get since professors will be allowed to teach just about anything. If college courses are meaningless, what is the point of even attending college? Where is the gain?

Strengths and Weaknesses

    Demings main strength is that he looks at education as an investment and not an expense. He points out where studies have shown that students that have been forced to stay in school longer have an increase in earnings years later, even after they have stopped their schooling (Deming,2019). He adds that communities with higher college graduates have fewer crimes and more community involvement than those without an education. However, his weakness is his approach to making college free. Deming is under the impression that if college becomes free, those that are low income will have the same opportunity as the wealthy people to become successful, slowing closing the economic gap but Deming cannot guarantee that making college free will actually result in students graduating, let alone graduate with degrees that have job availability; a problem many graduates face in today’s time. He doesn’t explain how the government will come up with such large amounts of money to fund these free colleges. He has a few plans that could work, but they would take away from help the government already provides to the needy.

    Lees’ strength is that he focuses on real world consequences. He brings up important issues, and the impacts society will have if college were to be free. Taxes would go up, even for those that do not attend college. Student motivation would decrease due to the lack of effort from the college presidents. Leef mentions how the only issue the college president will have is how to get more money out of the government, since college would be free there is no need to impress the government in order to receive more funds (Leef, 2019). The biggest weakness Lee has is that it does not give a real solution to making college more accessible to students, he only talks about the negatives of making college free.

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Finding A Balance/Compromise

    While both sides have strong arguments, many people believe that there is a better solution than making college completely free. The government could expand financial aid and provide more scholarships or grants for students who truly need it. This approach would still make college more accessible without increasing taxes too much. According to Deming, the main goal shouldn’t just be to make tuition free but to make sure more students are graduating. He explains that free tuition alone won’t solve the issue. Overcrowding or losing funding will lower the quality of education and drop graduations rates. Instead, he suggest the government invest more money into public colleges and holding those colleges accountable for student success and job outcomes (Deming, 2019).

    Just like supporting side, Lee argues that there needs to be a smarter approach than just removing tuition for everyone. Making college free could lead higher taxes and less motivation for students to work hard, which could hurt both students and the economy. A more balanced plan would focus on helping students who truly need financial assistance and encourage effort. The best solution might not be making college totally free, but instead creating a fair system where education stays affordable, quality stays high and students still feel motivated to earn their degrees.

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