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Pros: why college should be free, cons: why college should not be free, what the free college debate means for students, how to cut your college costs now, frequently asked questions (faqs).

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Americans have been debating the wisdom of free college for decades, and more than 30 states now offer some type of free college program. But it wasn't until 2021 that a nationwide free college program came close to becoming reality, re-energizing a longstanding debate over whether or not free college is a good idea.

And despite a setback for the free-college advocates, the idea is still in play. The Biden administration's free community college proposal was scrapped from the American Families Plan . But close observers say that similar proposals promoting free community college have drawn solid bipartisan support in the past. "Community colleges are one of the relatively few areas where there's support from both Republicans and Democrats," said Tulane economics professor Douglas N. Harris, who has previously consulted with the Biden administration on free college, in an interview with The Balance.

To get a sense of the various arguments for and against free college, as well as the potential impacts on U.S. students and taxpayers, The Balance combed through studies investigating the design and implementation of publicly funded free tuition programs and spoke with several higher education policy experts. Here's what we learned about the current debate over free college in the U.S.—and more about how you can cut your college costs or even get free tuition through existing programs.

Key Takeaways

Research shows free tuition programs encourage more students to attend college and increase graduation rates, which creates a better-educated workforce and higher-earning consumers who can help boost the economy.
Some programs are criticized for not paying students’ non-tuition expenses, not benefiting students who need assistance most, or steering students toward community college instead of four-year programs.
If you want to find out about free programs in your area, the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education has a searchable database. You’ll find the link further down in this article.

Before diving into the weeds of the free college debate, it's important to note that not all free college programs are alike. Most publicly funded tuition assistance programs are restricted to the first two years of study, typically at community colleges. Free college programs also vary widely in the ways they’re designed, funded, and structured:

Last-dollar tuition-free programs : These programs cover any remaining tuition after a student has used up other financial aid , such as Pell Grants. Most state-run free college programs fall into this category. However, these programs don’t typically help with room and board or other expenses.
First-dollar tuition-free programs : These programs pay for students' tuition upfront, although they’re much rarer than last-dollar programs. Any remaining financial aid that a student receives can then be applied to other expenses, such as books and fees. The California College Promise Grant is a first-dollar program because it waives enrollment fees for eligible students.
Debt-free programs : These programs pay for all of a student's college expenses , including room and board, guaranteeing that they can graduate debt-free. But they’re also much less common, likely due to their expense.

Proponents often argue that publicly funded college tuition programs eventually pay for themselves, in part by giving students the tools they need to find better jobs and earn higher incomes than they would with a high school education. The anticipated economic impact, they suggest, should help ease concerns about the costs of public financing education. Here’s a closer look at the arguments for free college programs.

A More Educated Workforce Benefits the Economy

Morley Winograd, President of the Campaign for Free College Tuition, points to the economic and tax benefits that result from the higher wages of college grads. "For government, it means more revenue," said Winograd in an interview with The Balance—the more a person earns, the more they will likely pay in taxes . In addition, "the country's economy gets better because the more skilled the workforce this country has, the better [it’s] able to compete globally." Similarly, local economies benefit from a more highly educated, better-paid workforce because higher earners have more to spend. "That's how the economy grows," Winograd explained, “by increasing disposable income."

According to Harris, the return on a government’s investment in free college can be substantial. "The additional finding of our analysis was that these things seem to consistently pass a cost-benefit analysis," he said. "The benefits seem to be at least double the cost in the long run when we look at the increased college attainment and the earnings that go along with that, relative to the cost and the additional funding and resources that go into them."

Free College Programs Encourage More Students to Attend

Convincing students from underprivileged backgrounds to take a chance on college can be a challenge, particularly when students are worried about overextending themselves financially. But free college programs tend to have more success in persuading students to consider going, said Winograd, in part because they address students' fears that they can't afford higher education . "People who wouldn't otherwise think that they could go to college, or who think the reason they can't is [that] it's too expensive, [will] stop, pay attention, listen, decide it's an opportunity they want to take advantage of, and enroll," he said.

According to Harris, students also appear to like the certainty and simplicity of the free college message. "They didn't want to have to worry that next year they were not going to have enough money to pay their tuition bill," he said. "They don't know what their finances are going to look like a few months down the road, let alone next year, and it takes a while to get a degree. So that matters."

Free college programs can also help send "a clear and tangible message" to students and their families that a college education is attainable for them, said Michelle Dimino, an Education Director with Third Way. This kind of messaging is especially important to first-generation and low-income students, she said.

Free College Increases Graduation Rates and Financial Security

Free tuition programs appear to improve students’ chances of completing college. For example, Harris noted that his research found a meaningful link between free college tuition and higher graduation rates. "What we found is that it did increase college graduation at the two-year college level, so more students graduated than otherwise would have."

Free college tuition programs also give people a better shot at living a richer, more comfortable life, say advocates. "It's almost an economic necessity to have some college education," noted Winograd. Similar to the way a high school diploma was viewed as crucial in the 20th century, employees are now learning that they need at least two years of college to compete in a global, information-driven economy. "Free community college is a way of making that happen quickly, effectively, and essentially," he explained.

Free community college isn’t a universally popular idea. While many critics point to the potential costs of funding such programs, others identify issues with the effectiveness and fairness of current attempts to cover students’ college tuition. Here’s a closer look at the concerns about free college programs.

It Would Be Too Expensive

The idea of free community college has come under particular fire from critics who worry about the cost of social spending. Since community colleges aren't nearly as expensive as four-year colleges—often costing thousands of dollars a year—critics argue that individuals can often cover their costs using other forms of financial aid . But, they point out, community college costs would quickly add up when paid for in bulk through a free college program: Biden’s proposed free college plan would have cost $49.6 billion in its first year, according to an analysis from Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. Some opponents argue that the funds could be put to better use in other ways, particularly by helping students complete their degrees.

Free College Isn't Really Free

One of the most consistent concerns that people have voiced about free college programs is that they don’t go far enough. Even if a program offers free tuition, students will need to find a way to pay for other college-related expenses , such as books, room and board, transportation, high-speed internet, and, potentially, child care. "Messaging is such a key part of this," said Dimino. Students "may apply or enroll in college, understanding it's going to be free, but then face other unexpected charges along the way."

It's important for policymakers to consider these factors when designing future free college programs. Otherwise, Dimino and other observers fear that students could potentially wind up worse off if they enroll and invest in attending college and then are forced to drop out due to financial pressures.

Free College Programs Don’t Help the Students Who Need Them Most

Critics point out that many free college programs are limited by a variety of quirks and restrictions, which can unintentionally shut out deserving students or reward wealthier ones. Most state-funded free college programs are last-dollar programs, which don’t kick in until students have applied financial aid to their tuition. That means these programs offer less support to low-income students who qualify for need-based aid—and more support for higher-income students who don’t.

Community College May Not Be the Best Path for All Students

Some critics also worry that all students will be encouraged to attend community college when some would have been better off at a four-year institution. Four-year colleges tend to have more resources than community colleges and can therefore offer more support to high-need students.

In addition, some research has shown that students at community colleges are less likely to be academically successful than students at four-year colleges, said Dimino. "Statistically, the data show that there are poorer outcomes for students at community colleges […] such as lower graduation rates and sometimes low transfer rates from two- to four-year schools."

With Congress focused on other priorities, a nationwide free college program is unlikely to happen anytime soon. However, some states and municipalities offer free tuition programs, so students may be able to access some form of free college, depending on where they live. A good resource is the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education’s searchable database of Promise Programs , which lists more than 100 free community college programs, though the majority are limited to California residents.

In the meantime, school leaders and policymakers may shift their focus to other access and equity interventions for low-income students. For example, higher education experts Eileen Strempel and Stephen Handel published a book in 2021 titled "Beyond Free College: Making Higher Education Work for 21st Century Students." The book argues that policymakers should focus more strongly on college completion, not just college access. "There hasn't been enough laser-focus on how we actually get people to complete their degrees," noted Strempel in an interview with The Balance.

Rather than just improving access for low-income college students, Strempel and Handel argue that decision-makers should instead look more closely at the social and economic issues that affect students , such as food and housing insecurity, child care, transportation, and personal technology. For example, "If you don't have a computer, you don't have access to your education anymore," said Strempel. "It's like today's pencil."

Saving money on college costs can be challenging, but you can take steps to reduce your cost of living. For example, if you're interested in a college but haven't yet enrolled, pay close attention to where it's located and how much residents typically pay for major expenses, such as housing, utilities, and food. If the college is located in a high-cost area, it could be tough to justify the living expenses you'll incur. Similarly, if you plan to commute, take the time to check gas or public transportation prices and calculate how much you'll likely have to spend per month to go to and from campus several times a week.

Now that more colleges offer classes online, it may also be worth looking at lower-cost programs in areas that are farther from where you live, particularly if they allow you to graduate without setting foot on campus. Also, check out state and federal financial aid programs that can help you slim down your expenses, or, in some cases, pay for them completely. Finally, look into need-based and merit-based grants and scholarships that can help you cover even more of your expenses. Also, consider applying to no-loan colleges , which promise to help students graduate without going into debt.

Should community college be free?

It’s a big question with varying viewpoints. Supporters of free community college cite the economic contributions of a more educated workforce and the individual benefit of financial security, while critics caution against the potential expense and the inefficiency of last-dollar free college programs.

What states offer free college?

More than 30 states offer some type of tuition-free college program, including Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Michigan, Nevada, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Virginia, and Washington State. The University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education lists over 100 last-dollar community college programs and 16 first-dollar community college programs, though the majority are limited to California residents.

Is there a free college?

There is no such thing as a truly free college education. But some colleges offer free tuition programs for students, and more than 30 states offer some type of tuition-free college program. In addition, students may also want to check out employer-based programs. A number of big employers now offer to pay for their employees' college tuition . Finally, some students may qualify for enough financial aid or scholarships to cover most of their college costs.

Scholarships360. " Which States Offer Tuition-Free Community College? "

The White House. “ Build Back Better Framework ,” see “Bringing Down Costs, Reducing Inflationary Pressures, and Strengthening the Middle Class.”

The White House. “ Fact Sheet: How the Build Back Better Plan Will Create a Better Future for Young Americans ,” see “Education and Workforce Opportunities.”

Coast Community College District. “ California College Promise Grant .”

Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. “ The Dollars and Cents of Free College ,” see “Biden’s Free College Plan Would Pay for Itself Within 10 Years.”

Third Way. “ Why Free College Could Increase Inequality .”

Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. “ The Dollars and Cents of Free College ,” see “Free-College Programs Have Different Effects on Race and Class Equity.”

University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education. “ College Promise Programs: A Comprehensive Catalog of College Promise Programs in the United States .”

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M aking community college tuition-free should be a national priority.

It would help counter recent enrollment declines at our nation’s community colleges. It would help produce the trained employees businesses say they are lacking. Most importantly, it would bring low-income students and students of color into higher education, a place where they have traditionally been excluded.

President Biden’s proposal to make community college tuition-free isn’t the only way to accomplish these goals. But it’s bold, and it’s on the table, ready for action.

The American Families Plan outlines a sweeping array of investments in child care, education, and teacher training, and commits $109 billion to eliminate tuition at community colleges. Recognizing that tuition is not the only hurdle students face, Biden’s plan includes a $62 billion investment in student retention and degree completion strategies and $80 billion to increase Pell Grants.

The plan also calls for other investments that would benefit community college students, including reductions in child care costs, expansion in nutrition assistance and establishment of a national paid family and medical leave program.

President Biden’s free tuition proposal would build on state programs for recent high school graduates ( Tennessee Promise and Oregon Promise) and adult learners ( Tennessee Reconnects and Michigan Reconnects ). According to pre-pandemic polling, it’s a political winner, especially among younger adults and those without a college degree .

Here are five goals political and education leaders have championed for years that could be accomplished with the right legislation.

First, a national initiative to make community college tuition-free would communicate a clear message to all potential students that they will be able to afford at least some of the costs of college — and that they should consider attending.

Second, this initiative could reduce racial disparities in who gets a college education. Programs that provide free community college tuition have been found to increase college enrollment for Black and Hispanic students. Some education beyond high school is increasingly needed for “good jobs.” Yet access to higher education is unequal, as demonstrated by persisting differences in college-related outcomes across demographic groups. Without action, these differences in college access and degree completion will likely increase, given the disproportionate negative impacts of COVID-19 on underserved people and communities and enduring systemic racism.

Third, this policy could catalyze other efforts to address the systematic inequalities that limit educational attainment. Only 27 percent of first-time, full-time students who first enrolled in a community college in 2015 completed a certificate or associate degree within three years. This is an opportunity to ensure that more students who enroll finish. It’s also an opportunity to help more students move from K-12 to higher education, and from community college to a four-year university, without loss of credit.

Fourth, assuming that state and local governments at least maintain their support, this initiative could ensure that community colleges have the resources needed to serve their diverse and historically underserved populations. When enrollment declines, tuition revenue and government funding based on enrollment also decline. Even before the pandemic, community colleges spent less per student than other institutions. Advising, academic support, and other wraparound services can improve student outcomes, but they require resources.

Finally, this is an opportunity to reconsider the roles and responsibilities of federal, state, and local stakeholders in providing high-quality, affordable, equitable, and accessible public higher education. Free community college could encourage stakeholders to create a shared understanding that everyone should have access to “12 + 2” years of education. It is also an opportunity to systematically align resources available from other sources (such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Medicaid, workforce training, etc.) to meet the needs and circumstances of adults and other learners.

Community colleges are an essential component of our nation’s higher education system. Often the most geographically proximate higher education institution, community colleges enroll diverse students with diverse educational goals and needs. Eighteen and nineteen-year-olds beginning the path to a four-year degree. Hourly workers who want careers. People who had one career and now want or need another. Many have kids. Most have at least one job.

Making community college tuition free won’t be easy. As Biden’s plan recognizes — we will need to invest new resources . We will need to ensure these initiatives reduce costs for low-income students . And we will need to design a federal-state partnership that rewards states for their investments in higher education, compensates for differences in state wealth and other resources , and recognizes that state higher education systems and policies vary.

Yet a well-designed federal initiative that partners with states to make community college tuition-free could encourage renewed effort toward making system-level changes that address seemingly intractable issues. Making America’s community colleges tuition-free could revitalize these institutions, ensure that employers have skilled workers, and enable people from low-income families and other underserved groups to get access to better jobs and the many other benefits of a college degree.

Laura W. Perna is vice provost for faculty and GSE Centennial Presidential Professor of Education at the University of Pennsylvania. Edward J. Smith is program officer with The Kresge Foundation. Perna and Smith are co-editors of Improving research-based knowledge of College Promise Programs (American Educational Research Association, 2020).

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Laura W. Perna is vice provost for faculty and GSE Centennial Presidential Professor of Education at the University of Pennsylvania. She is a co-editor of Improving research-based knowledge of College Promise Programs (American Educational Research Association, 2020).

Edward J. Smith is program officer with The Kresge Foundation. He is a co-editor of Improving research-based knowledge of College Promise Programs (American Educational Research Association, 2020).

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It’s Time for Free Community College

By Laura W. Perna & Edward J. Smith

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An argument against free community college tuition.

Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/an-argument-against-free-community-college-tuition

Seventeen states in the U.S. now offer free community college tuition, and existing programs cover tuition for many students. But President Biden wants to make that happen nationwide. This week we'll explore both sides of the debate over free community college and Biden's plan, beginning with former U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings, who joins Judy Woodruff to discuss.

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Notice: Transcripts are machine and human generated and lightly edited for accuracy. They may contain errors.

Judy Woodruff:

Now to the debate over providing free tuition for community college.

Seventeen states already do so, and existing programs cover tuition for many students. but President Biden wants to make that happen nationwide. His plan starts with $109 billion to cover full tuition for community college. States would be asked to match a dollar for every three allocated in federal money.

His plan also includes an $85 billion investment in Pell Grants for students in need at both two- and four-year colleges. And there's another $62 billion for resources to help students complete their degree, money for transportation and tutoring, for example.

We are going to get different takes over the next two nights for our series on Rethinking College.

To begin, I'm joined by Margaret Spellings, the former U.S. secretary of education under President George W. Bush, and the former head of the University of North Carolina system. She's now president and CEO of Texas 2036. It's a policy group to make Texas successful after its bicentennial.

Margaret Spellings, welcome back to the "NewsHour."

Thank you for joining us.

I'm looking at something that President Biden said when he was making this proposal. He said: "It's not enough to restore where we were before the pandemic. We need to build a stronger economy that does not leave anyone behind."

What about that rationale for this?

Margaret Spellings:

Well, it makes all the sense in the world.

And I commend him really for investing in American higher education. We know that most of the jobs of today and certainly the future require higher levels of education. And, right now, we're following — falling woefully short of having all our people with the skills needed to really access the economy.

So, at the top line, I really commend that goal.

Well, let me just go beyond that, then, because what the president has pointed out and the people who advocate for this point out is, the people who have most benefited from community college are people at the lower income scale, people who haven't had the opportunity.

In other words, it's a way to target those individuals who had the least opportunity in the past, as an argument for putting this kind of money into it.

Well, and we know that so many of our — the majority of our community college students really are taking remedial education, levels of basic literacy and math that should have been learned in high school.

And so, sadly, our completion rates towards an associate's degree or to something, really a meaningful credential, are not very encouraging at community colleges. And when students are well-matched, they really do better in comprehensive universities, like our minority-serving institutions, HBCUs.

So, to me, I'm a fan of the Pell Grant. I think one of the greatest assets of American higher education is for the ability for a student to take that purchases power to a place that suits them. And, certainly, that can be a community college, but isn't necessarily.

But the question is, why not go ahead and give these individuals who — I looked at a number — it's something like 94 percent of total family income, on average, has gone toward education for the most disadvantaged students.

Why not direct the money to who need it the most?

Well, because I think, often, they're going to be better off with a comprehensive university, like an HBCU. They're going to be on track to complete and they will have a trajectory into a livelihood and, frankly, often doesn't exist when students are educated in community colleges.

Too many of our students in community colleges are taking what we call basic education, which is really kind of literacy and math, not that they don't need that, but, really, it's we need to empower consumers with information and purchasing power to go where they see fit, including community colleges.

Well, the administration has shared with us a number of studies that show this kind of outside financial aid does help these students toward completing their two-year degree.

So, this would be a way of at least — for those students who can't go, for whatever reason, to a historically Black college, which you have mentioned, or to another four-year institution, at least this gets them off to a solid beginning.

And that's why 17 states, as you rightly say, have invested in that.

But there's also states who have invested in additional supports for four-year institutions, for technical schools, for other types of institutions. So, I think, in terms of bipartisan support, I think there will be a lot of support for the Pell Grant. That will obviously inure to the benefit of community colleges and to families.

But let's be agnostic about the kinds of places that students might select, adult learners, those who are going straight from high school, to really chart their own path. What we really need is information as well for students to really understand, what are they getting in those community colleges? Are they a ticket to a good job or not?

Is your argument that it's a waste of money?

No, not at all.

My argument is, let's give students financial support, especially those who need it the most, through a Pell Grant, and allow them to chart a path to their own — around their own needs, including community colleges.

But let's not limit it to community colleges.

Well, as we reported, there's a lively debate around this — around this issue. And we're so grateful to you, Margaret Spellings, for joining us.

Thank you very much.

Thanks, Judy.

And, tomorrow night, we will hear the case for providing free community college. That will come from another former secretary of education, John King, who served under President Obama.

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College & Careers

Tuition-free college is critical to our economy

Morley Winograd and Max Lubin

November 2, 2020, 13 comments.

To rebuild America’s economy in a way that offers everyone an equal chance to get ahead, federal support for free college tuition should be a priority in any economic recovery plan in 2021.

Research shows that the private and public economic benefit of free community college tuition would outweigh the cost. That’s why half of the states in the country already have some form of free college tuition.

The Democratic Party 2020 platform calls for making two years of community college tuition free for all students with a federal/state partnership similar to the Obama administration’s 2015 plan .

It envisions a program as universal and free as K-12 education is today, with all the sustainable benefits such programs (including Social Security and Medicare) enjoy. It also calls for making four years of public college tuition free, again in partnership with states, for students from families making less than $125,000 per year.

The Republican Party didn’t adopt a platform for the 2020 election, deferring to President Trump’s policies, which among other things, stand in opposition to free college. Congressional Republicans, unlike many of their state counterparts, also have not supported free college tuition in the past.

However, it should be noted that the very first state free college tuition program was initiated in 2015 by former Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, a Republican. Subsequently, such deep red states with Republican majorities in their state legislature such as West Virginia, Kentucky and Arkansas have adopted similar programs.

Establishing free college tuition benefits for more Americans would be the 21st-century equivalent of the Depression-era Works Progress Administration initiative.

That program not only created immediate work for the unemployed, but also offered skills training for nearly 8 million unskilled workers in the 1930s. Just as we did in the 20th century, by laying the foundation for our current system of universal free high school education and rewarding our World War II veterans with free college tuition to help ease their way back into the workforce, the 21st century system of higher education we build must include the opportunity to attend college tuition-free.

California already has taken big steps to make its community college system, the largest in the nation, tuition free by fully funding its California Promise grant program. But community college is not yet free to all students. Tuition costs — just more than $1,500 for a full course load — are waived for low-income students. Colleges don’t have to spend the Promise funds to cover tuition costs for other students so, at many colleges, students still have to pay tuition.

At the state’s four-year universities, about 60% of students at the California State University and the same share of in-state undergraduates at the 10-campus University of California, attend tuition-free as well, as a result of Cal grants , federal Pell grants and other forms of financial aid.

But making the CSU and UC systems tuition-free for even more students will require funding on a scale that only the federal government is capable of supporting, even if the benefit is only available to students from families that makes less than $125,000 a year.

It is estimated that even without this family income limitation, eliminating tuition for four years at all public colleges and universities for all students would cost taxpayers $79 billion a year, according to U.S. Department of Education data . Consider, however, that the federal government spent $91 billion in 2016 on policies that subsidized college attendance. At least some of that could be used to help make public higher education institutions tuition-free in partnership with the states.

Free college tuition programs have proved effective in helping mitigate the system’s current inequities by increasing college enrollment, lowering dependence on student loan debt and improving completion rates , especially among students of color and lower-income students who are often the first in their family to attend college.

In the first year of the TN Promise , community college enrollment in Tennessee increased by 24.7%, causing 4,000 more students to enroll. The percentage of Black students in that state’s community college population increased from 14% to 19% and the proportion of Hispanic students increased from 4% to 5%.

Students who attend community college tuition-free also graduate at higher rates. Tennessee’s first Promise student cohort had a 52.6% success rate compared to only a 38.9% success rate for their non-Promise peers. After two years of free college tuition, Rhode Island’s college-promise program saw its community college graduation rate triple and the graduation rate among students of color increase ninefold.

The impact on student debt is more obvious. Tennessee, for instance, saw its applications for student loans decrease by 17% in the first year of its program, with loan amounts decreasing by 12%. At the same time, Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) applications soared, with 40% of the entire nation’s increase in applications originating in that state in the first year of their Promise program.

Wage inequality by education, already dreadful before the pandemic, is getting worse. In May, the unemployment rate among workers without a high school diploma was nearly triple the rate of workers with a bachelor’s degree. No matter what Congress does to provide support to those affected by the pandemic and the ensuing recession, employment prospects for far too many people in our workforce will remain bleak after the pandemic recedes. Today, the fastest growing sectors of the economy are in health care, computers and information technology. To have a real shot at a job in those sectors, workers need a college credential of some form such as an industry-recognized skills certificate or an associate’s or bachelor’s degree.

The surest way to make the proven benefits of higher education available to everyone is to make college tuition-free for low and middle-income students at public colleges, and the federal government should help make that happen.

Morley Winograd is president of the Campaign for Free College Tuition . Max Lubin is CEO of Rise , a student-led nonprofit organization advocating for free college.

The opinions in this commentary are those of the author. Commentaries published on EdSource represent diverse viewpoints about California’s public education systems. If you would like to submit a commentary, please review our guidelines and contact us .

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Genia Curtsinger 2 years ago 2 years ago

Making community college free to those who meet the admission requirements would help many people. First of all, it would make it easy for students and families, for instance; you go to college and have to pay thousands of dollars to get a college education, but if community college is free it would help so you could be saving money and get a college education for free, with no cost at all. It would make … Read More

Therefore I think people should have free education for those who meet the admission requirements.

nothing 2 years ago 2 years ago

I feel like colleges shouldn’t be completely free, but a lot more affordable for people so everyone can have a chance to have a good college education.

Jaden Wendover 3 years ago 3 years ago

I think all colleges should be free, because why would you pay to learn?

Samantha Cole 3 years ago 3 years ago

I think college should be free because there are a lot of people that want to go to college but they can’t pay for it so they don’t go and end up in jail or working as a waitress or in a convenience store. I know I want to go to college but I can’t because my family doesn’t make enough money to send me to college but my family makes too much for financial aid.

Nick Gurrs 3 years ago 3 years ago

I feel like this subject has a lot of answers, For me personally, I believe tuition and college, in general, should be free because it will help students get out of debt and not have debt, and because it will help people who are struggling in life to get a job and make a living off a job.

NO 3 years ago 3 years ago

I think college tuition should be free. A lot of adults want to go to college and finish their education but can’t partly because they can’t afford to. Some teens need to work at a young age just so they can save money for college which I feel they shouldn’t have to. If people don’t want to go to college then they just can work and go on with their lives.

Not saying my name 3 years ago 3 years ago

I think college tuition should be free because people drop out because they can’t pay the tuition to get into college and then they can’t graduate and live a good life and they won’t get a job because it says they dropped out of school. So it would be harder to get a job and if the tuition wasn’t a thing, people would live an awesome life because of this.

Brisa 3 years ago 3 years ago

I’m not understanding. Are we not agreeing that college should be free, or are we?

m 3 years ago 3 years ago

it shouldnt

Trevor Everhart 3 years ago 3 years ago

What do you mean by there is no such thing as free tuition?

Olga Snichernacs 4 years ago 4 years ago

Nice! I enjoyed reading.

Anonymous Cat 4 years ago 4 years ago

Tuition-Free: Free tuition, or sometimes tuition free is a phrase you have heard probably a good number of times. … Therefore, free tuition to put it simply is the opportunity provide to students by select universities around the world to received a degree from their institution without paying any sum of money for the teaching.

Mister B 4 years ago 4 years ago

There is no such thing as tuition free.

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Community college ‘free-for-all’: Why making tuition free could be complicated

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November 15, 2019

Presidential candidates are pushing for “free” community college for all; Douglas Harris described some of the early details here on the Chalkboard earlier this year. Greater access to community college is a clearly overdue policy for reasons we also talked about here in July , and it’s worth thinking through some of the details. (As an aside, some candidates propose four years of free college, others that college should be “debt-free.” We’ll leave discussion of those proposals for another day.) Currently, we have no national policy on community college attendance: States have very much gone their own ways. Policy diversity has some definite advantages. But things are so different across states that making community college free nationwide is going to be tough—implementation details are going to require some thought.

Here’s the first issue: Some states have chosen to go all in on community colleges, while other states do very little. Will this be a political problem? Will politicians from states with low community college attendance be reluctant to support subsidizing students in other states? Hopefully not, as states with low community college numbers today are also the states with the greatest likelihood of growing their attendance. What’s more, community college attendance doesn’t follow a simple red state/blue state pattern.

Right now (well, per the latest data from the Digest of Education Statistics in 2017), 22% of community college students are in California—which has 12% of the nation’s population. Another way to say this is that 33% of college-aged folk in California attend community college, as compared to a national average of 20%. Here’s a chart showing that same two-year school enrollment as a fraction of the college-aged population across states.

Figure 1 - Fraction of college aged population enrolled in public 2-year colleges

The other states that look something like California in this regard are pretty small in terms of population. (New Mexico and Wyoming actually have a higher ratio than California.) Texas, though, is a large state that is also well above the national average. Arizona, Iowa, and Virginia are also high. The state that stands out on the low end is Florida.

A complicating wrinkle in thinking about free community college is that the boundaries between community college and four-year schools are sometimes blurred. In some states , some bachelor’s degrees are offered by community colleges . (This may account for the low two-year enrollment reported for Florida.) Does that mean free tuition would not be covered in such schools? Or does it mean that a bachelor’s degree is covered if offered by a community college, but not if the same degree is offered in a “four-year school”? In some states, this is a big issue. In other states, the issue doesn’t arise. But it’s one more complication that will require careful thought and quite likely careful political negotiation.

A second issue is that states charge very, very different tuition levels. Compared to the status quo, very different subsidy levels will be needed across states to achieve zero-tuition nationwide. The national average annual tuition at public two-year colleges is $3,200. California is way below that. Texas is relatively low as well.

Figure 2 - In-state tuition and required fees at public 2-year colleges

Here, too, the breakdown is not especially red versus blue, which probably helps with the politics. Nonetheless, some thought will be required to figure out how to cover tuition both in New Hampshire, where the current price tag is $7,300, and in California, which charges $1,300.

Some of the proposals for free tuition include a requirement for cost-sharing by states. States currently differ significantly in how much they spend per student, raising a third issue. I’ve calculated total expenditures on public two-year colleges and subtracted off tuition. The national annual average is $6,100. (Note: While I’m confident that states vary wildly in what they spend, don’t put too much weight on the numbers for a particular state. Also, the latest data is three years old, though that probably shouldn’t matter much.)

Figure 3 - Expenditures in public 2-year colleges less tuition

Mississippi spends almost $11,000 above tuition costs, while Virginia spends only $1,500. The situation is made more complicated by the fact that costs of real estate, construction, salaries, etc., vary so much across states. Simple formulas about cost-sharing may be difficult to reconcile with varying levels of existing contributions. (By the way, picking up the cost of tuition will increase total spending on community colleges by about a third, very roughly. Of course, free tuition will increase demand for community college—that’s kind of the idea, after all—which will further raise the required level of funding.)

Looking ahead, some thought should be given to how states will respond strategically to various proposals. For example, Joe Biden’s plan calls for “the federal government covering 75% of the cost and states contributing the remaining obligation.” (Fellow candidates Cory Booker, Kamala Harris, and Amy Klobuchar also call for free community college, while Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren would extend free tuition to four-year public colleges as well.) Right now, California is a low-tuition, high-expenditure, high-participation state. Should California raise its $1,300 tuition to the $7,300 in Vermont— thus increasing tuition revenue—and then contribute a fourth of that ($1,825) to keep tuition free while the federal government contribute three-fourths ($5,475)? Students won’t care, since one government or another is picking up the tab. The extra revenue from Washington, D.C., would free up a lot of money that California is now using to subsidize its very large community college system.

The admirable goal of a federal program is to make community college available to Americans wherever they live. If that happens, we are likely to see community college within reach of a much greater number of students across the country. That will itself diminish the differences that exist today, but not on day one. Figuring out the details is going to require some good technocrats. And on the political side, there should be considerable appeal across both red and blue states. Perhaps this might be a good venue for bipartisan cooperation.

None of this is an argument against the federal government finding a way to make community college tuition-free. It is an argument that figuring out the details will take some work.

Should Community College Be Free: Exploring the Benefits and Considerations

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September 1, 2014

Why Community Colleges Should Be Free

To bolster the nation's high-tech labor pool, some higher education should come without a tuition bill

By The Editors

Tennessee does not immediately come to mind as a progressive force in science and technical education. Even today the legacy of the infamous 1925 Scopes trial persists: a relatively new state law invites teachers to criticize mainstream science, be it evolution or global warming.

Yet the antediluvian “Monkey Bill,” as opponents call the 2012 legislation, has not prevented the state from taking the national spotlight as an educational innovator. In May, Republican governor Bill Haslam signed a bill that will make Tennessee's two-year community colleges and technical schools free to any high school graduate starting in 2015.

Community colleges are pillars of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education. They train technicians for jobs in leading-edge industries and grant associate's degrees that let students finish the last half of their higher education at a four-year institution. While the gap in economic well-being between college graduates and those with only a high school diploma grows ever wider, community colleges serve as gateways for the underrepresented and the working class. Nationwide, 40 percent of community college students are in the first generation of their families to attend college, more than 55 percent of Hispanics in college are enrolled in community colleges, and 40 percent of community college students hold down full-time jobs.

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The National Science Foundation has long recognized the importance of two-year schools as training grounds for high-tech industries such as biotechnology and nanotechnology. It devotes more than $60 million annually to its Advanced Technological Education program, which develops curricula to immerse students, for instance, in the nuances of cell cultures and standard deviations. Graduates of these courses go on to careers in the laboratories of Genentech and the command centers of nuclear power plants. Veterans returning to the workforce receive training for technical careers in the aerospace industry.

The Tennessee law will enable students to attend the state's 13 community colleges and 27 technical schools tuition-free in hopes of raising the number of college graduates in the state from 32 to 55 percent by 2025. (The national average is now 42 percent.) The program will be funded largely by lottery money and will also somewhat reduce scholarships at the state's four-year institutions. If a trade-off has to be made, this one may be worth it to upgrade a workforce judged in one survey to be of low quality. Other states—and the private sector—are watching closely. Oregon has plans to make community college free, and Mississippi may try again after the death of a bill this year. These efforts should be viewed as models for other states to emulate. To succeed, though, the two-year schools will need a lot of help.

Community colleges have long wrestled with the responsibility of having to offer remedial education for entrants who arrive at their doors without a proper grounding in basic skills. The educational deficits are one reason only 32 percent of Tennessee's students finish at state-run community colleges, which is why Haslam's program appoints “mentors” to ease the transition.

To ensure that the newly enrolled reach graduation day, administrators of community colleges must emphasize accelerated remedial programs to get students through the basics and into career-related classes quickly enough to avoid the frustration and despondency that lead to elevated dropout rates.

The two-year colleges should also give serious consideration to new teaching methods that could maximize the time teachers have to interact with their students. Bill Gates, whose foundation has contributed tens of millions to remedy the failings of two-year schools, recommended in a speech last year that community colleges experiment with “flipped classrooms.” Students watch lectures from MOOCs (massive open online courses) at home. In class, instead of getting lectures, they complete homeworklike exercises, with personalized instruction from professors and teaching assistants.

Two-year college students face an obstacle course of personal and academic challenges on the path to a diploma. Many must hold down a job or two while attending courses. The renewed spotlight on community colleges is essential for transforming these vital institutions into gateways to the tech-oriented skills that serve as the foundation for vibrant economies.

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Should College Be Free?

New Mexico unveiled a plan to make its public colleges and universities free. Should all states follow?

By The Learning Network

Find all our Student Opinion questions here.

Do you plan to attend college?

How much will cost factor into your consideration and choice of school?

The average cost of tuition and fees at an in-state public college is over $10,000 per year — an increase of more than 200 percent since 1988 , when the average was $3,190; at a private college the cost in now over $36,000 per year; and at over 120 ranked private colleges the sticker price exceeds $50,000 per year.

Additionally, over 44 million Americans collectively hold more than $1.5 trillion in student debt , and last year’s college graduates borrowed an average of $29,200 for their bachelor’s degree.

On Sept 18, New Mexico announced a plan to make tuition at all state colleges free for students regardless of family income.

Should all states follow suit? Or is it an unrealistic plan at the expense of taxpayers?

In “ New Mexico Announces Plan for Free College for State Residents, ” Simon Romero and Dana Goldstein write:

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Why Community College should be Free

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The question of whether or not to have free community college in The United States is a hotly debated issue. Opinions run deep on both sides, and those positions seem to be deeply held and mostly inflexible. Lately, it seems that more and more people are lending support to the idea of free community college. The measure seeks for responsible students to receive two years of free study at a community college, which makes it possible to finish the first half of a degree and acquire, at no cost, the necessary skills needed to pursue higher education (Biden and Garcetti).

Community college must be made free to improve education and our society at large.

Jill Biden and Eric Garcetti are writers for Inside Higher Ed. They argue that, “A high school diploma is no longer enough to ensure a stable career and a middle class income.” In fact, people who decide not to continue their post-secondary education or who drop out of school and do not graduate are often out of work or stuck in low-paying jobs while employers leave positions vacant each year. Employers are now looking for better-prepared employees with post-secondary education.

Years ago, the labor market mainly demanded employees with lower educational levels to fill positions in the industry, such as construction or manufacturing. However, the economy is moving towards a globalized market, where it is increasingly necessary to cover the demand for jobs with higher education. As a result in fewer job opportunities for workers who interrupt their studies or do not continue to study post-secondary education.

The rising cost of tuition means that a portion of the potential labor force does not have the opportunity to receive the training and education it needs to get jobs stable enough and well paid to support themselves and their families. A job or a stable income could solve many problems in other areas such as poverty, income inequality, health, insecurity, housing, and the well-being of children.

Today, more than ever, the nation needs to create opportunities for responsible students who seek to continue their post-secondary education and be better able to aspire to cover the new labor demand. This can be done without burdeningm them with having to cover the costs of tuition and assuming decades of debts even before beginning their career.

Andrew P. Kelly is a writer for The New York Times who expresses some doubt that the proposal is real because nothing is free. He believes this proposal will only further burden the debt of the country, making things more difficult for taxpayers. However, taxpayers must understand this as a long-term investment strategy. It is an investment in our common future that will pay for itself in the form of a better educated population that will have higher income and that will generate a higher tax base. It will be a win-win proposition and a great return of the money invested by us.

According to the point made by Kelly, an opponent of free college, this measure will generate congestion in the courses, causing demand that cannot be met, compromising the quality of the classes. He said that, “tuition-free colleges will not have the resources to serve additional students without compromising the quality of their offerings.” And the point made by Kelly is true, since there are classes essential for the academic advancement of a student that the community colleges do not offer in proportion to the demand. This results in students who do not get a place in these courses and are delayed a semester and sometimes a year. In the same way, the quality of teaching is affected when basic subjects are taught for giant groups instead of opening several options at different times and with smaller groups. But the propose of free community college could guarantee a maximum number of students per class as well as a minimum of basic classes offered each semester, so that it really benefits the students. This means that Kelly’s concerns are unwarranted.

The proposal would make higher education as accessible as high school education, in order to boost the weak salaries in the United States and develop skills for the modern workforce. In order to take advantage of the program, students should be enrolled full-time, have an average GPA of 2.5 and maintain a productive record in class. This will show that the students are interested and that they are making progress in their studies. Although the proposal raises concerns about how the tuition of thousands of students would be paid, its promoters hope that this legislation will have a positive impact on the economy of the states. In the near future, the education of the workforce will increase with certificates, associate’s degrees, and university degrees.

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Ross MacDonald’s essay “Why Community Colleges Should be Free” (2014) argues that the benefits of community colleges on local economies, work-forces, and individual well-being are numerous enough to warrant the offering of free two-year educations to students. MacDonald’s references a recent law in Tennessee which “will make Tennessee’s two-year community colleges and technical schools free to any high school graduate starting in 2015” (MacDonald, para.2). The essay starts with the proposition that providing a free two-year education to all students is a progressive and cost-effective measure. Mac Donald goes on to support this central thesis by citing four or five key virtues that can be expected to result from the offering of free community colleges. This perspective is corroborated by a recent statistical study conducted by Kevin Pennington, Robert Pittman and Casey Hurley which suggests that even such a disparate area of social development as agriculture is noticeably strengthened through the presence of community colleges. I agree with both the Mac Donald article and the conclusion of the statistical survey. Furthermore, I believe that an objective examination of the facts indicates that a free two year education should be the default policy in every state.

MacDonald mentions that the initial benefits of community colleges emerge from the fact that these schools cater to STEM disciplines. He notes that “Community colleges are pillars of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education. They train technicians for jobs in leading-edge industries and grant associate’s degrees that let students finish the last half of their higher education at a four-year institution.” (MacDonald, para. 3) Obviously, one direct benefit from this system is that students are receiving an education in areas that are practically geared toward future jobs and careers. This is a crucial point because communities and states are in need of STEM-based workers and experts. Therefore the resulting employment of STEM trained students would generate ongoing benefits for communities that exceed the cost of the free two-year programs.

A further benefit that is closely connected to the spread of STEM-based education is the idea of social mobility. In regard to community colleges a greater number of first-generation college students and minority students are encouraged through the spread of community colleges. MacDonald cites the fact that “community colleges serve as gateways for the underrepresented and the working class” (MacDonald, para. 3). The increase in social mobility as well as the spike in worker-knowledge and abilities further strengthens communities and states. The offering off free community college is an investment in the community itself and in the people who make the community run.

MacDonald does mention that certain serious challenges face the implementation of a free community college policy in Tennessee or any state. One of the big challenges is that many students who arrive at community college fail to possess sufficient skills in reading and writing and comprehension to adequately pursue the two-year curriculum. These students require remedial education which places a further economic burden on the community. Associated with the need for remedial education is the danger of high drop-out rates. Simply because a free education is offered does not mean that every aspiring student will be prepared to attend. Therefore, according to MacDonald, a great effort must be made by community colleges to ensure that their remedial programs are as efficient and as widely available as possible.

One final point made by MacDonald is that new educational techniques can find a place for exploration in the expanded community colleges. Techniques such as integrating online/off campus classes with in-class assignments would enable a more dynamic approach to learning, one that would facilitate a more practical use of in-class time. This approach is known as “flipped classrooms.” Basically a flipped classroom is one where what is traditionally known as “homework” is in fact carried out in the classroom, whereas lectures are presented off campus in an online setting. These innovations can be used at the community college level where they are likely to be most needed and most effective. Two year colleges can stand at the forefront of experimental policies and systems like flipped classrooms because they offer a robust and fast-moving student body by which to gauge their effectiveness. The nature of two-year colleges also makes it easier to implement needed improvements to programs in a timely fashion.

A community that offers free community college education is one that is more likely to stimulate job growth, economic opportunity and innovation. These are the primary pragmatic results of the policy according to MacDonald. However, MacDonald’s essay also strongly implies that further benefits, some less readily pinpointed, are also part of the discussion. These benefits include a higher degree of civic pride, individual happiness, and a sense of growth and opportunity. There is also an implied sense of community acceptance in that education is no longer rooted in class-identity and economic power. Overall, MacDonald’s article offers several indisputable points that bolster the idea that fee two-year education programs should become more widespread, if not universally adopted, in America. One might convincingly argue that MacDonald’s presentation of the debate is one-sided. There is little if any space in the article devoted to the opposing view. Despite this legitimate criticism, the essay is founded on solid facts and is articulated in a logical and convincing way.

Further evidence that community colleges represent an important part of a community’s well-being is the previously mentioned study by Pennington, Pittman and Hurley that approaches the issue through pure statistics. While some of the authors’ findings contradict the assumptions given by MacDonald, one key discovery in the statistical analysis adds a powerful potential benefit to the offering of free community college education. This finding is that co0mmunity colleges, especially those that are well-attended, increase the agricultural value of the community in which they are active. The authors note that “In looking at the total picture, it seems safest to conclude that the mere presence of the community college has not taken struggling economies and transformed them into booming ones” (Pennington, Pittman, and Hurley) . That said, the authors go on to state that the presence of community colleges increase the agricultural efficacy of a given community by as much as 11%.

This is a significant number. More importantly, it is a number that is derived from the mere presence of community colleges in a given region. It is not a statistical study of how free two-year education would impact the agricultural value of a community. Obviously, if an increase of 11% can be scientifically proven in regard to the simple existence of community education, then free two year education should cause this number to go even higher. Since the agricultural value of a given community (or a nation) is one of its most important attributes, this increase in value, taken across the entire nation, would raise the GNP to levels that might even be able to compete with government spending. If such a proposition sounds like wishful thinking, the idea that a raise in the national GNP would result from an increase in national education is completely supported by Pennington, Pittman and Hurley. Statistics are objective facts. Alone, they do not represent any particular political or social ideal. For this reason, I find the study to be a powerful argument on behalf of the idea of free community college.

Whether or not an individual believes that college education is desirable or necessary, it seems increasingly difficult to substantiate the view that only those who can afford to do so should have access to higher education. The “pay to play” policies that are default in the United States only encourage class division and stagnation in social mobility. Personally, I feel that this state of affairs is one that has been created by design by those who enjoy economic superiority in our society. The restriction of higher education for only those who can afford it is simply a way of enforcing social castes that enable of social strata (the “one-percent”) to exploit and control workers. Education is generally acknowledged as being the best way to inject social and class mobility into any society. Class divisions are often also based on racial and ethnic discrimination. Both economic disparity and racism are unhealthy for society as a whole.

Due to these considerations, it appears obvious that the offering of free two-year college educations to all students is not only a sound idea, but a necessary one. In order to strengthen America’s working-class, heal racial divides, and reinvigorate the infrastructures and workforces of our nation, free community college must become the law of the land. As the statistical survey indicated the proliferation of community colleges will not solve all of America’s economic problems immediately, nor will such a policy turn a bad economy instantly good. Rather, the implementation of free community colleges would start a long-term process that would eventually culminate a stronger and more just society for every American citizen. When this reality is coupled with the conclusion that America’s overall GNP would irrefutably rise through the implementation of the free community education policy, those who stand against such a policy-shift in America may find it very difficult to bolster their position without also advocating the furthering of the same widespread impoverishment and class struggle that has brought America to its present state of decay.

Works Cited

MacDonald, Ross. “Why Community Colleges Should Be Free.” Scientific American.com; accessed 9-29-14; http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-community-colleges-should-be-free/

Pennington, Kevin L., Robert B. Pittman, and J. Casey Hurley. “An Assessment of the Community College’s Influence on the Relative Economic Development of a County.” Community College Review 29.1 (2001).

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Should Community College Be Free?

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Acquiring a higher education is rapidly becoming a necessity in the modern age. With the progression of technology, requirements for workers and professionals are becoming higher, raising the incentive of the graduates to study further. Many jobs today require specific physical and mental skills, that can often be acquired only through attending an institution. In this regard, the Community College is one of the more accessible, widely available options. These Colleges can help recent graduates and any willing person to take up valuable skills to apply in the professional field. Finishing community college gives an individual the opportunity to start their work career with a sizable set of knowledge, opening up more opportunities. Because of the value it holds, many argue that such institutions should be free, and this essay will argue in support of that claim. Community College should be free because it had the potential to offer great opportunities to graduates. With increased accessibility, more people will be able to benefit from higher education, leading to the creation of more professionals.

The main advantage of making community college free is that more people will be able to attend it. For many low-income families, the fees of tuition are difficult to cover, especially if one includes the costs of books and various utilities. The introduction of a free community college education can help struggling households and promote increased attendance. Studies have shown that making colleges free increases the number of graduates (Dowd). Allowing more people to study and gain further education can benefit the economy in the long run, creating a larger number of qualified workers.

Dowd, Mary. The Advantages of Free Tuition at Community College . 2019, Web.

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Updated, June 22 A version of this essay first appeared on The Kresge Foundation. Making community college tuition-free should be a national priority. It would help counter recent enrollment declines at our nation's community colleges. It would help produce the trained employees businesses say they are lacking. Most importantly, it would bring low-income students and […]
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Michigan provides free college to residents who were essential workers during the pandemic, while also covering tuition at community colleges for people ages 25 or older.
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Students would be capable to center their attention more on their studies as a substitute than worrying about how to scrape together ample dollars for every upcoming college term if university were free. The common scholar today graduates from university $37,172 in scholar mortgage debt. For graduate and expert students, the amount is ...
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Watch the Full Episode. PBS NewsHour from Jun 08, 2021. Seventeen states in the U.S. now offer free community college tuition, and existing programs cover tuition for many students. But President ...
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Making community college free to those who meet the admission requirements would help many people. First of all, it would make it easy for students and families, for instance; you go to college and have to pay thousands of dollars to get a college education, but if community college is free it would help so you could be saving money and get a college education for free, with no cost at all.
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Why community college should be free has become a hot topic of debate in recent years. As the cost of higher education continues to rise, proponents argue that providing free access to community colleges can have numerous benefits for individuals and society as a whole. This essay explores the advantages of free community college, its potential implications, and the broader impact it could ...
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3. College Education and Experience Could Decrease in Quality. Another argument against "why should college be free" is the idea that quality could dip. With potentially less money going into colleges and universities, schools may find it more difficult to offer top-quality education opportunities for their students.
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Thus, many people, including students question whether community college tuition should be free given. I firmly believe free community college should be provided and financed by the U.S. government. It will encourage learners to concentrate on their studies, and encourage them to work harder in school. In result, a significant increase in ...
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Ross MacDonald's essay "Why Community Colleges Should be Free" (2014) argues that the benefits of community colleges on local economies, work-forces, and individual well-being are numerous enough to warrant the offering of free two-year educations to students. MacDonald's references a recent law in Tennessee which "will make Tennessee ...
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Published: Dec 3, 2020. While free college sounds appealing and straightforward, the reality of providing a completely free college-level education can cause future conflicts and affect Americans, of all different incomes, today. In the article, It's Time to Push for Free College published by NEA, Max Page and Dan Clawson claim many people ...
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According to College Promise, a national movement to make college free, only 12% of low-income students earned a four-year degree by age 25 as of 2021, compared to 70% of high-income students. And Pell Grants haven't kept pace with college costs. In 1975, Pell Grants covered 79% of college costs; by 2019, that figure had dropped to 25%.
Should Community College Be Free? Essay Example [Updated]
Cut 15% OFF your first order. The main advantage of making community college free is that more people will be able to attend it. For many low-income families, the fees of tuition are difficult to cover, especially if one includes the costs of books and various utilities. The introduction of a free community college education can help struggling ...

Should College Be Free? The Pros and Cons

Types of Publicly Funded College Tuition Programs

Key Takeaways

A More Educated Workforce Benefits the Economy

Free College Programs Encourage More Students to Attend

Free College Increases Graduation Rates and Financial Security

It Would Be Too Expensive

Free College Isn't Really Free

Free College Programs Don’t Help the Students Who Need Them Most

Community College May Not Be the Best Path for All Students

Should community college be free?

What states offer free college?

Is there a free college?

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