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College should be free because it helps children and adults go to college if they do not have lots of money. Another reason that I found was once people get out of college then they have lots of det and that's not a good way to start off your adult life. Also if people do not go to college then it will be very hard for them in the futrue to get a good paying job to live off of.

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Can Tuition-Free College Change a Community? | Nash McQuarters | TEDxTulsaCC

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Kelsey Story | Staff Writer

Going to college can be an exciting experience, but it is also expensive. One of the challenges that college students, even incoming freshmen, face today is expensive tuition. Some colleges are so expensive they can be unaffordable for students looking for a decent education.
According to the "Average Estimated Undergraduate Budgets, 2017-2018" on collegeboard.org, a public four-year college for in-state students costs nearly $9,970, and a two-year public school, such as community colleges, costs about $3,570. For a public four-year college for students living outside of state, the tuition and fees cost nearly $25,620, and for private four-year colleges it costs $34,740.
That is a lot to pay for an education. Imagine putting a lot of money in for a degree. Of course, there are scholarships and financial aids that help pay for your tuition, but without them, you would have to pay it all. It is actually frustrating for those who have worked very hard for their money.
However, free college education can be a possibility, and there would be some advantages in that. According to the article "Should College Be Free?" on trade-school.net, a free college education can help people to find jobs that pay them well or suit them, and they can receive money and spend it to pay taxes that will reach the government that help pay colleges. This benefits the people's education and the government.
Another advantage of free college is that students would not have to worry about student loan debt, and they can pay their needs like housing, food, and textbooks. They do not necessarily have to be deep in debt. They can just enjoy their lives in college without worrying about financial crisis. Having a free education helps them to not rely on so much student loans.
Free colleges do exist in the world. In fact, there is already free college education in the U.S. From an article by Abigail Hess on the CNBC website, there is now free education for four-year public schools in New York. In order for students to get access to free colleges, they have to sign up for the Excelsior Scholarship, which helps those who make up to $125,000.
California officials are also thinking about free college. In the city of San Francisco, city residents can now enter the City College of San Francisco with the help of a city transfer tax that pools nearly $5.4 million annually.
Even Tennessee is offering free community colleges. According to the Tennessean article by Adam Tamburin, Governor Bill Haslam proposed Tennessee Reconnect, which helps residents without college degrees to enter community colleges. This is a great way for residents to start on their higher education.
Although most colleges would stay expensive, there is hope for a free education. Time after time, more students enter colleges later on, getting their degrees and entering a more educated workforce. In the future, most people could have a greater access to a college education.

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Kelsey Story | Staff Writer Going to college can be an exciting experience, but it is also expensive. One of the challenges that college students, even incoming freshmen, face today is expensive tuition. Some colleges are so expensive they can be unaffordable for students looking for a decent education.

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Subscribe! http://bitly.com/1iLOHml President Obama has proposed a bold plan to cover tuition costs for community college students. How would the U.S. pay for such an expensive program and is it worth it? A Well-Educated Workforce Is Key to State Prosperity http://www.epi.org/publication/states-education-productivity-growth-foundations/ "Incomes and wages can increase across an economy when productivity-production per capita-increases.

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Growing up, my dad taught me how to play soccer, to throw a ball, and to wrestle. As I got older, I really enjoyed athletic activities because of this engagement. Just recently, I asked him why he wanted to play catch with me so much, or teach me how to throw a football, and he told me that he never wanted me to believe that I could not participate in certain activities just because I was a girl.

During our recess in elementary school, I would play basketball with all the boys. Not even kidding, I was the only girl out there with about 20 guys. Sometimes I would get made fun of because I was literally the only girl, but that is what I wanted to do at recess, so why should that stop me?

Because I liked to play sports at school, and because it just so happened that mostly only boys played sports at recess, I would get teased. I would hear phrases spat out of their mouths like, "Why are you over here with the boys when you are a stupid girl?" I would answer back with a sarcastic comment because I was a bit fiery as a child (and I still am) however, this never really bothered me too much because we were just kids, and I didn't really give the aspect much thought.

It wasn't until I got older that I realized the stigma surrounding that fact that some males really do think that they are superior to females, just because of their gender!

While in middle school, I struggled with math. I remember one semester I was having a really hard time, so I went up to my male teacher after class one day to see if I could get some extra help. He responded with, "Yeah, girls tend to have a hard time with this subject, so maybe we should get you a tutor." There is absolutely nothing wrong with needing a tutor when you are struggling in school, but how does being a girl automatically mean that I am bad at math?

When I was a freshman in high school, I made the varsity soccer team. I was super excited, and the next day at school I told my group of "friends" about the accomplishment. One guy in the group scoffed at me and told me that it didn't really matter because I was a girl, and girls aren't really good at soccer anyways. What does that mean? My accomplishments do not matter because I am a girl?

Not to reference the numerous times I have been cat-called while walking in the mall, being afraid to walk home from my night class alone, and the time a 60-year-old man asked if he could "take me home" while I was working.

Oh, by the way, have I mentioned that fact that some women get paid less than men in the workforce, for the same job and skill set?

It is actions and comments like these that have sparked the #metoo movement, women's marches around the globe, and the feminist effort. These movements have given the voiceless a platform to be heard, the courage to speak up and demand change, and has shown little girls that they too are entitled to chase their dreams.

In my later high school years, I went on to earn a national title with my soccer team, get straight A's my senior year, and currently, I am a sophomore undergrad in college working on a bachelor's degree in economics with a quantitative emphasis - hoping to be a public policy analyst someday.

I can accomplish anything I desire, as long as I work hard for it. My gender does not determine my intelligence level, and I am proud to be apart of a generation that is empowering each other to challenge society to create a new one, so that young girls, teenagers, and women are not told that they cannot do something "because they are a girl."

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Growing up, my dad taught me how to play soccer, to throw a ball, and to wrestle. As I got older, I really enjoyed athletic activities because of this engagement.

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Student Debt Relief | Student Loan Forgiveness

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The costs of going to college have risen dramatically in recent decades, so much that many are opting not to go to college while those who do are often saddled with student loan debt that follows them through life, sometimes even into retirement. In the wake of what many consider an educational crisis due to rising costs, there have been recent calls for a free college education. Should college be free? Let's look at the pros and cons.

Arguments for Why College Should Be Free

An Educated Population Is Necessary for Thoughtful Political Participation

To answer the question of should college be free or not, we have to consider its impact on the country as a whole. Democracies and republics demand an educated populace for full political participation. When people vote on issues and representatives, a college education can provide them with historical context, understanding of our system and understanding of underlying social and economic issues. College also often exposes people to ideas and people of different backgrounds that are beyond their backyard. This in itself is a strong argument for why college should be free.

Free College is a Natural Extension of Free Elementary School and High School

The idea of free college is really no more radical than free kindergarten through grade 12. At one time, few people went to high school and few elementary schools or high schools were free. There were some free "common" schools in the United States as early as the 1700s, but the concept of free education for elementary school-age children did not start to really gain traction until the mid-1800s, partly due to the efforts of Horace Mann, the Secretary of Education in Massachusetts. He also advocated compulsory schooling. By the 1880's, there were many free high schools in the North. By 1900, only 34 states had compulsory schooling laws, but by 1918, all children in the United States were required to complete elementary school. By the 1940's and 1950s, over of half young adults graduated from high school. Today, 88% of students graduate high school. Free education in this country has been a process of evolution. Free college is the next step.

Our Economy Now Requires a Better Educated Workforce

The world has changed remarkably since the 1940s and 1950s. Many more jobs today are knowledge-based or require advanced technical skills than in the past, to the extent that there are sometimes not enough qualified people to fill the positions. College education has become much more necessary than in the past to fill today's roles. A better educated workforce would be a boon to American economic growth and at the same time increase tax revenues. In addition, if more people can get more good jobs, it would reduce other forms of public assistance.

Free College Would Jumpstart the Economy

The average student today graduates from college $37,172 in student loan debt. For graduate and professional students, the amount is significantly higher. People facing that kind of debt, often do not have a lot of money to contribute to the economy. Our total student loan debt in this country is $1.48 trillion, which is far more than credit card debt ($1.023 trillion). If people did not have such massive student loan debt, they could buy houses, buy consumer items and contribute more to the economy.

We are Wasting Some of Our Best Resources

High school students with the best grades, particularly when they come from low-income households, are not necessarily the ones who go to the best schools. Even though some might have been the most successful students in high school, they often see little choice but to go to lower-rated, more affordable colleges. That's if they are able to go to college at all. We are wasting America's brainpower, brains that could be contributing to medical breakthroughs, economic advances, and leadership in all fields.

Current Student Aid is Inadequate, and Students Are Forced to Struggle for Tuition Money When They Should Be Studying

Students would be able to focus more on their studies rather than worrying about how to scrape together enough funds for each upcoming school term if college were free. More students might graduate on time, ready to take on important jobs in their communities. The cost of attending a four-year college has increased by 1,122% since 1978. In 1978, a student at a four-year, public university could earn enough in a minimum wage summer job to pay tuition. Those days are long gone. Today it would take more than a full year to make enough. Student aid is just not enough help. For example, today, a federal Pell Grant covers only about 30% of the average cost of going to a public four-year college or university. In 1973 it covered over 75% of the cost.

Free College Would Level the Playing Field

There is a widening gap between the haves and the have-nots in this country. The median upper-income family (making over $127,600) now holds 75 times the wealth of the median low-income family (making under than $42,500), according to the Pew Research Center.In 1989, upper-income families held 28 times as much wealth.

The extreme increase in college costs means that fewer and fewer low-income students can attend college, and the wage gap grows larger. And those who do manage, graduate with crushing student loan debt. When people graduate with heavy student loan debt, it understandably decreases their probability of owning homes, getting married, having children and accumulating wealth.

Free College Is Not a New or Radical Concept

John Adams, writing in 1785: "The whole people must take upon themselves the education of the whole people and must be willing to bear the expense of it."

Rutherford B. Hayes, Inaugural Address,1877: "But at the basis of all prosperity, for that as well as for every other part of the country, lies the improvement of the intellectual and moral condition of the people. Universal suffrage should rest upon universal education. To this end, liberal and permanent provision should be made for the support of free schools by the State governments, and, if need be, supplemented by legitimate aid from national authority."

Morill Act of 1862: The Morrill Act of 1862 enabled land-grant colleges to be created by states on federal lands so that higher education could become available to Americans in every social class. Initially, students could often attend tuition-free. Eventually, public colleges started charging tuition.

The GI Bill: Following World War II, over two million veterans were able to get free college educations thanks to the GI Bill. Many of these people would never have been able to attend college otherwise. It changed their lives and our country because it helped the economy and increased the country's talent pool. The GI Bill is often cited by scholars as a major reason for the high productivity and economic growth in the United States after the war.

Other Countries Have Successfully Implemented Free College Programs

Free college advocates frequently cite the success of other countries in arguing why college should be free. Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Mexico, Germany and Finland are examples of countries that do not charge for tuition. Education is viewed as an investment in the future of the country rather than a give-away program. The percentage of the GDP that countries with free colleges spend on education is not much more than what the United States is spending with our current system. The United States spends about 1.36% of our GDP on post-secondary education. Finland spends 2.08%, Norway spends 1.96% and Germany spends 1.35%.

Arguments for Why College Should Not Be Free

College Is Never Really Free

Those who argue why college should not be free, make the case that free college is really not free. Instead of students paying for their own education, taxpayers pay for it. Those opposing free college worry about the ever-growing costs of going to college and increasing enrollments will make publicly funded college tuition unfeasible. Also, the amount the public and changing congressional representatives are willing to invest may fluctuate. This argument is backed by the fact that the cost of college tuition is increasing at a rate far surpassing inflation, and the more aid that's available to students the higher tuition rates go.

Free College May Result in Waiting Lists

If college is free, more people are likely to go. This may result in the necessity of establishing waiting lists in order to handle the number of students, or current waiting lists may become longer.

Budget Issues Could Reduce Quality

If government funds become spread too thin, the quality of colleges may suffer. This could express itself in any number of ways including a decrease in available programs. If more students start enrolling in college because it is free, costs will escalate. Unless more money is allocated by the public, the quality of the education will suffer. This could end up decreasing access to higher education rather than increasing it, say those who argue why college should not be free.

Students Should Pay for College Because They Benefit the Most

Many people feel that even if there are societal benefits to a better educated population, the people that benefit the most are those who get the degree. Therefore, they should pay.

A Free College Program Should Not Be Free Across the Board

Should College Be Free? Free for who? For everyone? Many think college should be free for everyone, and other think college should be free to no one. Still, others say that college should be free to students from low-income households, but students from households that can afford to pay, should pay. Of course, then it would have to be decided what "afford" means.

If College Is Free, Students Will Take It for Granted

If college is free, there is a worry that some students will not study hard and make the most of their education. They might drop out before graduation or just put in the bare minimum, so they are not well-prepared to for jobs after graduation. The argument is that people appreciate something they must pay for and work for, but not something that is free. This could be easily resolved by simply setting up a rule that you have to maintain a certain grade point average to continue to go to college for free.

College Degrees Would Be Devalued if More People Had Them

This argument is that if many more people earn college degrees, the degrees will be considered less valuable. This could result in more underemployed workers who are not even able to make use of their educations. This argument for why college should not be free does not address how to fill the current unfilled openings for knowledge workers.

Do You Want College to Be Free?

If you feel strongly that college should be free, you may want to research the topic and get involved with political action designed to further that goal. And in the end, getting out and voting is critical to instigating change. It's hard to understand any arguments against a better educated population. The real question comes down to how to finance free college, but that's a question for another day.

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Should College Be Free? We Answer The Burning Question

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The costs of going to college have risen dramatically in recent decades, so much that many are opting not to go to college while those who do are often saddled with student loan debt that follows them through life, sometimes even into retirement.