Madison Harris

Professor James Celestino

English 1010
May 4th, 2016
Argument essay
Should Education be Free?

Thousands and thousands of students would prefer if obtaining a degree were easier, stress free
and FREE. The debt alone in Utah for college students is 54% (Ticas.org); the average is about
18,921 dollars for education, just to getting a better pay grade/status. Is it worth it? Is going to
college for years and having a huge burden on your back truly what the American Dream is
about? Although a degree is very important, it is not fun to pay with money that you dont have.
What can the United States do about this rising cost problem?
According to Robert Samuels, Education should be free and the quality of an American
University should increase. Here are some ways to make education free. Each year the
government spends billions of dollars for Pell grants and student loans. In 2010, they spent $35
billion on pell grants and $104 billion for student loans, $10 billion on financial aid for
universities and $76 billion more for support for higher education (Samuels, pg. 115-118).
$225 Billion dollars sounds like a lot of money, and it is, but to make education free, Robert
Samuels did the math and in year 2010 it would have cost $128 billion to make Public
universities and community college free. So the numbers dont make sense, why not just make
colleges free?

Making education free would benefit college students in many different ways. It would
allow more and more students to get degrees! Many students cannot afford to stay in college and
complete their degree, which leads to them dropping out. Their money and time are wasted in
that situation. Students would be able to graduate on time, save money, and receive their college
degree!
Not only would free education help college students out, it would help out those who
never thought that they would have a chance to go to school. (Cottom, 1-4). Millions are not able
to get higher than a high school education because it is simply too expensive and they have no
option but to work. This would improve our economy and educate those who never thought they
stood a chance of getting a college degree. For some, higher education and college degree is a
foreign concept. Making education free would help those who cannot attend college be able to
go.
There are many people who will disagree or think that making higher education is a bad
idea. Here are some reasons that seem reasonable. Andrew Kelly states It will reduce quality
without guaranteeing higher enrollment. This is very true and Colleges cannot prove that
enrollment would go up if college were to become free. There is a very high likely hood that it
will, because it is free. Andrew Kelly argues, Price is less important than value. Yes, that is
true, but does that mean colleges will not be held to the same standard if they become free?
Possibly, but making education free would benefit millions.
Andrew Kelly believes that if higher education becomes free it would only create new
problems. He thinks that it will only transfer the cost of education onto taxpayers, which could
be true if it is not executed properly. Taxpayers already pay a high price, so to add on to that

would not be fair, but it would be a cycle. Why push it onto taxpayers, the government should
spend the $225 billion dollars that they spend each year for pell grants and loans, not taxpayers.
A study was done in Texas in 2013, about community college students to see how they
evaluated the risks and rewards of using loans to get their degrees. The results ended for a
recommendation to change the federal loan policies and financial aid counseling practices to help
protect community college students and help them understand the pros and cons of loans.
Public universitys average annual cost is around $16,300, community colleges give the
opportunity for those students who either cannot afford that price or those just who choose to get
their degree at a smaller college (Community College Review). Around 80% of full time
community college students have pell grants and ...must find other sources to fill the gap
between their budgets and the total costs of attending college (Community College Review).
Even though community college students are less likely to apply for a loan than a Public
university student, evidences shows that a large loan is a bigger hardship on those who attend a
community college. Thousands of community college students, borrowing money is almost
necessary to obtain/afford a higher education, 40% of students have relied on private loans to
complete their schooling (Community College Review).
Consequently, about 9% of all community college students in the United States are
denied access to federal loans (Community College Review). This could result in one getting
private loans and credit cards to pay for their college degree. This is not an ideal situation for one
to be in, and will only put a burden on their back. This means one has to work more hours to try
and pay off their loans and credit cards, which will reduce their chances of completing a degree.
Financial aid needs to be implemented and show college students how to successfully graduate

and handle their finances. This would reduce college dropouts and help adults manage their
money whether they have government help or not.
Harvard business Review did a study on Should Higher education be Free written by
Vijay Govindarajan and Jatin Desai. It talks about how the education system is broken and there
is a 400% increase in the cost of education (Harvard Business Review). It might not surprise
college students and the general public that the United States of America has passed the trilliondollar mark in student loan debt. Many college students surpass 200,000 dollars in debt by the
time they have received their degree. Would it be fair to those who have paid thousands of
dollars for their education, to make higher education free for the upcoming generations?
Many things have been done or attempted to stop the rising cost of education, but none of
which seemed to help. There is a new opportunity to help lower the in class time expenses by
using technology called Massive Open Online Course (MOOCs). There are many amazing
teachers and professors in this world, what if we had the top ten highest ranked teachers,
teaching a class online to eliminate the cost of the class and increase the quality of our education.
Okay so what about the other thousands of teachers who dont make the top ten? Make them
mentors and tutors or have them doing online classes as well. That is exactly what MOOC is,
takes the top ten professors and has them use technology to teach online courses. Many will be
concerned for the lack of classroom time, decreasing the quality of education. If online courses
are done properly and correct, it will far exceed any in classroom experience.
College education is great but when it comes to a new job, is a new hirer really up for the
task and did college teach them everything they need to know? Most likely, college did not. The
skills learned in college are very different than skills you need for a job. Smart people can
figure out how to pass college tests if they can master what the professor wants, resulting in great

test scores but this skill and knowledge has very little relevance to solving daunting business
problems with no obvious answers (Harvard Business Review). Though college is a necessary
step in life for millions, College isnt always the right answer. Why not incorporate job skills
into college education and make it an online environment where you can prepare for a job that
one has selected to advance in.
A study done by the Milken Institute (2002) says that the biggest difference in the amount
of money that per capita income between states is the amount of people who graduate. It goes to
state that those who even add one year of education can raise their wages by 3-5%. That means
better job offers, and more taxes to be paid to the government. Howard Cohen sums up that
college is a place to learn how to learn, how to adapt to new jobs and better pay. College is very
important for the well being of our society. This world will constantly change and Howard
Cohen is concerned that if students do not attend college and graduate, our collective capacity
will subside. Whether education if free or not, our way of life is depending on those around us
and who attend college.
All of us benefit enormously from living in a society where skilled, knowledgeable,
public-spirited individuals give their time and talent for the public goodthe public value of a
college-educated populace may outweigh the personal value (Howard Cohen, NY times).
Education is important to the future and a well education individual should encourage a higher
education. Even if higher education does not become free, the personal benefit of completing a
college degree out ways the debt. One needs to way the possibilities of completing a college
degree and not.
In October 2015 at the democratic presidential debate Bernie Sanders said, If we want
free tuition at public colleges and universities millions of young people are going to have to

demand it. Students have done just that all across the country, they demanded a cancelation of
all student debt and a $15 minimum wage for those students who work on campus. Bernie
Sanders supports free public higher education at a four-year public college by an
implementation of a financial transaction tax at 0.5% on Wall Street transactions could raise
close to $300 billion a year (Dollars and Sense blog). Students have been pushing for free
education for years. Other countries have had free education for decades, The United States
could learn from them. Free education could move us in the right step to helping our country
economic problems.
If education were free in the United States, students would have a debt free, high quality
education that the public has been fighting for, for many years. It will open up more
opportunities for those who cannot afford education. It will give people a chance to feel
empowered and to have a satisfying career that they would not have been able to achieve without
free education. The process of making education free will undoubtedly take time, but it will be
worth it. Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are both proposing the idea for tuition-free
education. Education is the only way our country is going to grow; everyone should have access
to an education because it is so important and it is a right. Fighting for this issue is the only way
to continue the idea of having higher education becoming a reality.
Making education free has many positives, which includes, better economy, less stress for
students, higher pay and those who could not afford education a change. Free education would
mean fewer dropouts and more students completing their degree in the right amount of time.
Though many may feel there are negatives such as, less motivation or lower quality, making
education free out ways the bad. If making education free is done properly, no one should have
to see the fees/tuition prices for education ever again.

Works cited
Cottom, Tressie McMillan. "Why Free College Is Necessary." Dissent 4 (2015): 115. Project
MUSE. Web. 29 Mar. 2016.
Cohen, Howard. Who Should Pay for Higher Education? New York Times, College. Print.
http://ticas.org/posd/map-state-data-2015#
Jeje, Biola, and Belinda Rodriguez. "Why Free Higher Ed Can't Wait." Dollars &
Sense 323 (2016): 5. Master file Complete. Web. 4 Apr. 2016.
Kelly, Andrew P. "The Cost Of 'Free' College." National Review 67.19 (2015):
39.MasterFILE Complete. Web. 25 Feb. 2016.
McKinney, Lyle1, llmckinney@uh.edu, et al. "Community College Students Assessments Of
The Costs And Benefits Of Borrowing To Finance Higher Education."
Community
College Review 43.4 (2015): 329-354. Education Full Text (H.W.
Wilson). Web. 4 Apr.
2016.
Samuels, Robert. Why Public Higher Education Should Be Free: How To Decrease Cost And
Increase Quality At American Universities. New Brunswick, New Jersey:
Rutgers
University Press, 2013. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 25 Feb.
2016.
Vijay Govindarajan. Should Higher Education Be Free. Harvard Business Review. 09. (2013).
Print.