SHOULD COLLEGE TUITION BE FREE FOR STUDENTS?

Should college be free for students?

Line of Inquiry Essay
Courtney Covert
James Madison University

SHOULD COLLEGE TUITION BE FREE FOR STUDENTS?

Abstract
The topic of college tuition has been a controversial issue especially in
recent years as the price of higher education continues to rise in the
United States. Many agree that higher education is important for many
students and that the price of obtaining a higher education can be a
costly one especially when the return many not be that big. Despite the
high cost, there are many viewpoints on the solution and the possibility of
making higher education free for students. In the essay, arguments for
and against making college tuition free for students will be discussed.
Additionally, the sources for and against will be compared to show the
differences and similarities of the arguments as well as the strengths and
weaknesses for each side of the argument. It will also discuss whether
free college education is even a possibility in the United States.

SHOULD COLLEGE TUITION BE FREE FOR STUDENTS?

Should College Tuition be Free for Students?

Line of Inquiry Essay
As the presidential elections draw near, citizens contemplate on
which of the candidates best represents their views on the issues. An
important topic currently discussed in the recent election is the problem
of high college tuition costs, and this topic in particular attracts the
attention of new voters as it impacts them the most as current college
students. The present-day total college tuition debt in the United States is
$1.2 trillion dollars, which draws the attention of American citizens and
influences the introduction of many proposals on how to solve this issue
(Eskrow, 2014, para. 20). The cost of college tuition continues to rise in
the United States, and students face thousands of dollars of college
tuition debt following graduation that impacts them for the rest of their
adult lives. As current college students and the generation of citizens who
can start a change in the system of higher education, examining and
analyzing the arguments for and against making college tuition free and
the impact that it can have on present, past, and future college students
acts an essential part in determining the best course of action when it
comes to higher education.
In the article titled Pay It Forward by Catherine Morris, the author
argues that creating a better future for citizens requires a tuition-free
higher education to build the necessary skills for the workforce; however,
high tuition costs prevent many from attending college, which contributes

SHOULD COLLEGE TUITION BE FREE FOR STUDENTS?

to the continued problem of income inequality in the United States. The

idea of creating opportunities for students through free college remains a
central part in many proposals, as it more affordable and more
reasonable for the government to cover the cost. The chance for students
to attend community college or a 4 year university would allow more
citizens to obtain the knowledge needed for our growing society and to
solve many of the problems faced by our world. Many states already
initiated reforms to allow students to attend community college free of
cost and to support the success of the students through their years at
community college. Morris concludes her article with hopes for changes
in the higher education system on a federal level (Morris, 2015, p. 12-13).
Matt Bruenig in his article titled The Case Against Free College
claims that free college tuition does not help to solve the income
inequality problem that others use to support their case for free college
tuition. Students in America come from all different backgrounds, and he
explains that free tuition would not necessarily change the problem of
equaling the playing field for all students. By making higher education
free for all students in America, students coming from wealthy
backgrounds would receive money that they do not need to attend
college making the gap even larger; additionally, it would not guarantee
success of the lower and middle class students in college. The author
claims that free college tuition does not help lower classes and would

SHOULD COLLEGE TUITION BE FREE FOR STUDENTS?

only continue to contribute to the growing problem of income inequality

(Bruenig, 2015, p. 112-114).
According to Richard Eskrow in Tuition-Free Higher Education Must
Be Offered, free higher education is a moral imperative to improving the
futures of students in the United States. In order to earn better jobs and
higher incomes, individuals often need to obtain a higher education to
gain the crucial skills and knowledge in preparation for the expectations
that workplaces set for their employees. The continually increasing cost
of college tuition creates an obstacle for many individuals to attend a
university or community college; consequently, he argues that free
tuition is an obtainable goal for the United States in order to solve the
many issues caused by the high cost of higher education. Making higher
education free for students could help these individuals be prepared for
the real world and could make a brighter future for America (Eskrow,
2014).
A large component of the article written by Catherine Morris and
the article composed by Richard Eskrow includes the significance of free
education in helping peoples futures especially those who are in the
lower class. Both articles mention the increasing cost of college tuition
and the inability for many citizens to cover the costs of this unaffordable
expense. In her article, Morris states that earning potential is most often
linked to their education; consequently, making college tuition free
would help students to attend college allowing them to earn better jobs

SHOULD COLLEGE TUITION BE FREE FOR STUDENTS?

and a better income overtime (2015, p. 12). Eskrow also makes this
argument when he states that higher education is a very good
investment, for he believes that it allows individuals to earn more over
there lifetime and to achieve many of the dreams and goals that they set
for themselves (2014, para. 6). Because of the inability of many citizens
to acquire a higher education, the argument for solving income inequality
uses the claim of free higher education as the solution.
The arguments in Pay it Forward and Tuition-Free Higher
Education Must Be Offered integrate within their arguments how
differences in classes of American citizens form the basis of many
problems within the higher education system in the United States. To
emphasize the idea that ability of an individual to obtain a higher
education largely bases on the current wealth of their families, she claims
that the high cost of tuition is bad news for education and income
inequality, for high tuition costs worsens the problem of income
inequality (2015, p. 12). Eskrow claims that the rising costs of higher
education unfairly impacts lower-income groups as they are the ones
that face the challenges of rising tuition costs the most (2014, p. 2). In
contrast to the claims made by these two articles, Bruenig believes that
free higher education does not solve the issue of income inequality.
Despite many of the same discussions of the problems of higher
education and the differences in attendance of the different class levels,
Eksrow considers free higher education as a purposeful decision, while

SHOULD COLLEGE TUITION BE FREE FOR STUDENTS?

Bruenig does not believe free higher education serves any function.
Eskrow views free public higher education as a clean and ethical
solution as it would allow for students of all backgrounds to have
brighter futures (2014, para. 42). In comparison, Bruenig believes that
offering free college tuition has not real egalitarian purpose and does
not help to solve the issues of higher education (2015, p. 113). Each of
these authors interprets the reasoning and the usefulness of free higher
education in different ways.
In addition to the differences in the support or rejection of free
college tuition, Eskrow believes that income inequality can be solved with
free access to higher education; however, Bruenig believes that free
college tuition will not lessen this income gap. Eskrow argues education
is in danger of becoming an inherited privilege; consequently, free
higher education could allow students of all backgrounds to obtain a
college degree and earn higher incomes as higher education remains a
powerful tool for social mobility (2015, p. 113). Opposing this viewpoint,
Bruenig perceives free higher education as a way to exacerbate the
problem of income inequality as it would fill the pockets of richer
students and their families rather than helping families who actually
need the money (2015, p. 113). Each of the authors of the articles make
stronger arguments for his case for or against free education, but they
each have their strengths and weakness in their reasoning.

SHOULD COLLEGE TUITION BE FREE FOR STUDENTS?

The article by Catherine Morris has both strengths and weaknesses.

She has a strong argument for how the problem of income inequality can
be achieved through free higher education or other educational reforms.
She includes the use of examples of specific states where community
college has been offered and quotes many sources throughout to support
her argument. However, she does not have a lot of credentials and is not
as experienced within this field of study. Comparatively, Bruenig makes
the case against the idea of free higher education with his own strengths
and flaws in his argument.
The Case Against Free College has a strong argument by the
author as well as strong author credentials; however, he fails to show
how the problem of income inequality can be achieved. He argues that
making higher education free for students would not solve the income
gap between the lower and higher class of American citizens, but his
argument does not include an alternative to the problem. Additionally, he
claims that it would worsen the issue of income inequality but provides
no examples or statistics to back up his claim.
The last article written by Richard Eskrow argues that free higher
education is a essential and includes how the government could cover
the cost. He includes strong evidence and use outside sources to further
develop the argument. However, his argument for free higher education
as a moral imperative is lacking, as many do not see higher education as
a necessary tool for life. Furthermore, he does not fully develop how

SHOULD COLLEGE TUITION BE FREE FOR STUDENTS?

offering free college tuition could guarantee success for students in their
futures. After careful consideration of the strengths and weaknesses of
the articles, it allows an individual to develop his or her own opinion on
the issue and to decide the best possible solution to the problem of
income inequality.
Through the in depth investigation for this essay, the importance of
the issue of the high cost of college tuition has been clearly emphasized
as I understand the strong impact on future generations of the United
States. Additionally, the issue acts as an important discussion in politics
especially in the upcoming political debate as the new generation
emphasizes equality in all areas of life for all individuals. In order to form
a well-developed opinion on the issue, I take careful consideration of all
points of each argument. Many of the research for this topic includes
arguments for free higher education; however, my viewpoint on free
higher education has not changed. I would love if college could be free,
but I do not believe it is an unachievable goal as we have so many other
costs to cover in the United States and not enough money to cover all the
expenses. I feel there should be changes in the cost of tuition and other
reforms, but I do not believe it should be offered completely free. Despite
my disbelief in the possibility of free higher education for all students, I
feel it is vital to find other solutions and reforms to change the problem of
income inequality and to allow all people to have the opportunity for a
successful future.

SHOULD COLLEGE TUITION BE FREE FOR STUDENTS?

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SHOULD COLLEGE TUITION BE FREE FOR STUDENTS?

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References
Bruenig, M. (2015). The Case Against Free College. Dissent, 112-114.
Eskrow, R. (2014). Tuition-Free Higher Education Must Be Offered.
Retrieved from
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Morris, C. (2015). Pay It Forward. Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, 1213.