Reasoning Why College Should Not Be Free

A parent is their child’s first teacher and should remain their best teacher throughout their life. Parents only want the best for their children and help build their lives. From the first walk, the first failed test, the first time driving the car, to the first college application. Parents encourage their kids to be the best versions of themselves. With that said, nothing is more disappointing than not being able to help your children achieve their goals.

Katie Hutchins, a high school student from the state of Georgia, refused to accept UCLA because she didn't want to be in debt before medical school. She imagined studying at the University of California in Los Angeles, where the pre-medical program had access to an incredible clinic, and acclaimed faculty and staff specialists. Even so, being accepted and being able to afford college are two different things. Tragically Katie experienced this first hand. While she was accepted into her top school, she did not receive any grants or scholarships. Her only option was student loans. Her parents, both teachers, would be accountable for paying $58,000 annual costs to UCLA. Katie made the difficult choice of rejecting her dream school in order to avoid going into debt. 'I stayed up late at night, made As to get in. What was the point of working so hard when I can't even go?' she said. 'I did my part as a student, but my parents felt like they couldn't do their part as parents. It was heartbreaking for them,” (“I Got into My…).

Katie is one of many who cannot afford their top schools. As of 2016, the average cost of one year of tuition at public universities and colleges in the United States, is forty percent of an average family’s annual income. Compared to fifteen years ago, the average tuition rate accounted for less than twenty five percent of a family’s annual income ('Access and Affordability...). Consequently, college tuitions have been rapidly increasing in less than two decades. Moreover, making it seem as if the only way to go to college; is to be in debt. As a result of high tuition rates, both parents and students solely work to afford postsecondary school. According to The Atlantic, “Americans spend about $30,000 per student a year.” In fact, Andreas Schleicher, Director of Education and Skills at the OECD, said that 'spending per student is exorbitant and has almost no connection to the benefit that students can possibly receive in return.' In short, the United States spends more money towards university than almost any other nation (Ripley, Amanda). It’s important to realize, why tuitions are so expensive. The two word answer: campus life. Fancy dorms, athletic departments, beautiful scenery, great cafeterias and much more result in higher fees. Even so, no one wants to attend a poorly designed university; everyone wants the best. Having the best entails paying for the best. It’s a “diabolical cycle: colleges are expensive to run, partly because of high salaries earned by the skilled workers/professors. However those higher salaries make college degrees extremely valuable, which means Americans will pay a lot to get them, resulting in college tuition prices to be more expensive” (Ripley, Amanda). It’s truly capitalism. Money is power.

Lack of affordability is one of several obstacles that hinder access to higher education for marginalized groups. These include brown students, low-income students, first-generation college students, students with disabilities, and undocumented immigrants. Economic inequality is a real thing. The student's family background and social network determine where or whether one attends postsecondary school. Race and socioeconomic status of students also influence the likelihood of higher education ('Access and Affordability...). According to a study, 'in 2015, the rate of continuation to college was highest among Asian high school graduates, 76%, followed by 61% of white students. The rates for Hispanics were 52 percent and Black 50 percent students were considerably lower. Likewise, 78% of high school graduates in the highest family income quartile (over $119,765 annually) enrolled in post-secondary education compared to 46% of students in the lowest quartile (under $37,679 annually) ('Access and Affordability...). In working with high schools, post-secondary institutions can provide low-income and minority students with resources, to ease the application process and promote the transition to college. Higher education costs are an important factor in many students ' choices about whether to go to college. High cost of schooling and an overwhelming possibility of accumulating tens of thousands of dollars of student loan debt is an enormous challenge for several low-income students. The federal financial assistance has not managed to keep up with increasing school costs. The highest amount of Pell Grant rose by only eighteen percent from 1975 to 2012, for example, while tuitions escalated by 128 percent ('Access and Affordability...). Nevertheless, most post-secondary schools are offering financial aid packages.

Financial assistance includes non-repayable donation support methods, such as grants and scholarships, as well as on-campus paid employment and loans. Skyrocketing school costs have led to a large national burden of debt, with the Federal Reserve indicating that total student debt levels hit almost $1.57 trillion in December 2018. 'Schools have become more like corporations that treat students as prospective customers looking to purchase a college experience or degree rather than applicants motivated to pursue educational development.” Numerous young adults claim to feel frustrated by student debt, recognizing that it places college graduates and new members of the workforce in an immediate financial contract that requires years to overcome. Many economists argue that America's massive student debt burden can cause a financial crisis comparable to the Great Recession ('College Tuition...). When a student’s family income is low enough, they can be approved for a Pell grant. It pays $6095 a year. Unfortunately, there is not enough Pell grants for everyone. (Mathews, Jay). Nevertheless, students seeking financial support usually begin by submitting a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), that is used by the American government, state governments, and educational facilities to assess financial qualifications for needs-based programs ('College Tuition...).

It's valuable to get a higher education, since it allows students to cultivate their interests and find out how they would make a career out of it. Getting a degree contributes to many employment opportunities, such as higher paying jobs and lower unemployment rates ('Access and Affordability...). Americans with a college degree earn seventy-five percent more than those who only graduated high school. Which means that over a lifetime, individuals with a bachelor's degree can make more than half a million dollars, more often than those without any college degree in the United States (Ripley, Amanda). It's a business. One sells limbs to attend college, the majority goes into debt, graduates, gets a job that pays well. Paying college tuition is an investment; you lose money to make money. Even so, most of the time high schoolers want to attend a well known school because it has more credibility. The more prestigious, the more private. It’s surviving the student loans and debts students are faced with.

Rivals of school-free systems tend to argue that they are impractical and transfer the fiscal burden on taxpayers. Others suggest that the interruption of the existing system would have severe economic repercussions. Critics also notes that such proposals may allow states to raise their expenditure on education, but do not discuss the probability that some states will decline to do so. The disapproval of the Higher Act is that it might not actually accomplish debt-free higher education, since it only encompasses community college education, and does not tackle the significant costs of public and private four-year universities. Furthermore it lacks effective solutions to fund increased student spending ('College Tuition...).

Money is power. College tuitions have been exponentially increasing throughout the years and financial assistance has not been keeping up. Most students, from kindergarten to senior year of High School, are discovering themselves. Attending university was supposed to be a teenagers transition into an adult, not worry about school financially. The biggest concern was if one was accepted into their top school, nowadays, “can I afford it?” seemed like the queso of always being asked. College should not be free. Making a school free, results in the loss of its prestigiousness. Although, post secondary schools should grant more financial aid, so students can avoid student loan debts. Parents also sacrifice themselves to pay for their children. John Walsh is aware of such a sentiment. His son Patrick, another high school senior in Georgia, pursued the colleges he had his heart set on, Stony Brook University and St. John's University in New York. However the fundings that he was given would still leave him lumbered with $25,000 each year. While it was a choice that made sense to him, and to Patrick, it frustrated him. “Everything we've done since the kids were born was to provide them with everything they want, Patrick worked hard, got accepted to these really fine schools and he can't do it because mom and dad don't have the money. That part is difficult on a parent” (“I Got into My…)

Works Cited

1. 'Access and Affordability in Higher Education.' Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2019. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/ERPLJM502731047/OVIC?u=nysl_me_mamhs&sid=OVIC&xid=b7dadf27. Accessed 15 Oct. 2019. Originally published in 22 June 2017.
2. 'College Tuition and Student Loans.' Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2019. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/PC3010999071/OVIC?u=nysl_me_mamhs&sid=OVIC&xid=be83ec92. Accessed 15 Oct. 2019.
3. “I Got into My Dream School, but Can't Afford to Go.” CNNMoney, Cable News Network, 2015, money.cnn.com/2015/05/11/pf/college/college-financial-aid/index.html.
4. Mathews, Jay. “Perspective | When It Comes to Tuition-Free College, It's Not All about the Money.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 26 May 2019, www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/when-it-comes-to-tuition-free-college-its-not-all-about-the-money/2019/05/24/f4a81b08-782c-11e9-bd25-c989555e7766_story.html.
5. Ripley, Amanda. “Why Is College in America So Expensive?” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 11 Sept. 2018, www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2018/09/why-is-college-so-expensive-in-america/569884/