Deshpande 1

Should College be free?

Ashna Deshpande

Department of English, Bayside High School

English 112

Mrs. Bates

November 29, 2020

 Deshpande 2

Should College be Free?

According to the Association of Public Land-Grant Universities, the people who borrow

money for college leave with an average of $25,921 in student loan debt. About 58% of people

who graduated with a Bachelor’s degree left with a significant amount of debt (Nietzel, 2020).

The increasing amount of college debt is because of the increase in college tuition. From 2008 to

2018, college tuition has increased in all 50 states for public universities. The average increase in

college tuition is 37% (Hess, 2019). While college tuition has increased, there has been no effort

to make college free because many are under the impression that free college will cause students’

persistence to decrease. However, current studies show that free college will lower student loan

debt, increase enrollment, and increase graduation.

Student loan debt right now is 1.5 trillion dollars, which is the highest it has ever been

and will increase. Future generations will have to deal with the adverse consequences of

crippling the amount of college debt. Right now, many young people see the effects of student

loan debt by facing negative economic and social ramifications. Rising tuition leaves many

students and their families with either insurmountable student loan debt or unable to afford

college altogether (Dickler, 2019). By making college free, the amount of student loan debt

would decrease for future generations (Andersen, 2020). Lowering student debt could help the

economy by making younger generations save more money that they could spend to buy a house

or a car. Saving money would help stimulate the economy by increasing consumer spending

because less money would go to paying back student loans. Younger generations would not have
 Deshpande 3

to worry about the cost of tuition for a particular college and could go to a more expensive

college. Some students may have to go to a college that is more affordable than going to their

dream school, but having free college would eliminate the need for that situation. Lawmakers

need to understand the burden that the increase in college tuition causes. Younger people have to

take out massive amounts of student loans that they spend years paying back. The student debt

crisis will only be exacerbated if college tuition continues to increase. If colleges do not become

free, younger generations will have to deal with negative social and economic setbacks that come

with student loans. Lawmakers should create or advocate for bills that would make college free,

as this would benefit students and also the economy as it would increase consumer spending.

Not only would free college help with the student loan crisis, but it would also help

increase college enrollment among minorities and low-income families. In 2020, there has been a

4% drop in enrollment with undergraduate colleges compared to the previous year (Nietzel,

2020). The drop in college enrollment shows how people are discouraged from going to college

with the increase in college tuition every year. A community college in Tennessee that has free

college tuition, which has increased overall college enrollment by 24.7% and increased black

students' enrollment by 5%. With the free college programs that are currently in place, they are

helping increase college enrollment, especially among minorities (Winograd and Lubin, 2020).

Free college would allow many people from low-income families to pursue post-secondary

education. This would help decrease the gap between the rich and the poor in America, as

college graduates make $1 million more than non-graduates. Also, with the effects of the

pandemic, high school graduate unemployment was triple the rate of college graduates. By

making college tuition-free, more people from low-income families could have more
 Deshpande 4

opportunities to pursue higher education than having to pay for it. Today, the fastest-growing

sectors in the economy are healthcare and technology, which require a college degree. By having

college tuition-free, more people could work in those sectors and would help the overall

unemployment rate. Ultimately, free college would help minorities and low-income families

pursue higher education, which would decrease the income gap.

Many people believe that tuition-free college would make students less motivated to

complete their diploma, as they would not face economic consequences. However, studies show

that free colleges have a better graduation rate compared to colleges that have tuition (Winograd

and Lubin, 2020). The study found that tuition-free colleges have a higher success rate and more

minority graduates. Not to mention, it allows more people to focus on school rather than working

to pay for college. It is important to have an increased graduation rate among college students as

education increases productivity and economic security. It is also difficult to argue that free

college would cause a lower graduation rate when free high schools have a 88% graduation rate

(Winograd and Lubin, 2020). There also is no evidence that supports the argument that college

free tuition would cause people to fail or feel less motivated.

As college tuition continues to increase and affect people negatively, it is important to be

aware of the positive effects that tuition-free college can bring. College free tuition would

decrease student debt, increase college enrollment, and increase graduation rates. By being

educated on the positive effects of free college, people can push this legislation with their

lawmakers. Some lawmakers may not agree with free college, which is why it is essential to vote

for a candidate who advocates for free college. In Germany, massive student protests emerged,

calling for tuition-free college. Germany saw the massive protests and abolished all tuition fees
 Deshpande 5

in their public universities. Americans can continue to face the burden of the increase in college

tuition, or they can push their lawmakers to pass a bill to make college free.
 Deshpande 6

References

American Educational Research Association. (2020, October 20). ​Free-college programs have

led to large enrollment increases at two-year institutions​. Phys.Org; Phys.org.

https://phys.org/news/2020-10-free-college-large-enrollment-two-year.html

Andersen, E. (2020, July 30). Should college be free: Pros and cons - college raptor. ​College

Raptor Blog.​

https://www.collegeraptor.com/find-colleges/articles/affordability-college-cost/pros-cons

-tuition-free-college/

Association of Public & Land-Grant Universities. (2020, November 30). ​What is the typical debt

load for graduates of four-year public universities?​ Association of Public & Land-Grant

Universities; Association of Public & Land-Grant Universities.

https://www.aplu.org/projects-and-initiatives/college-costs-tuition-and-financial-aid/publi

cuvalues/student-debt.html

Dickler, Jessica. “Why College Tuition Keeps Rising.” ​CNBC​, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2019,

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/24/why-college-tuition-keeps-rising.html.

Hess, A. (2019, December 13). ​The cost of college increased by more than 25% in the last 10

years—Here’s why​. CNBC; CNBC.

 Deshpande 7

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/12/13/cost-of-college-increased-by-more-than-25percent-in-

the-last-10-years.html

Nietzel, M. T. (2020, October 5). ​College enrollment update: Undergraduate numbers now down

4% nationwide​. Forbes; Forbes.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaeltnietzel/2020/10/15/college-enrollment-update-und

ergraduate-numbers-now-down-4-nationwide/

Winograd, and Lubin. “COMMENTARY: Tuition-Free College Is Critical to Our Economy.”

EdSource​, EdSource, Nov. 2020,

https://edsource.org/2020/tuition-free-college-is-critical-to-our-economy/641232.