Argumentative Essay: Should College Be Free?

1525 Words7 Pages

College is so expensive, making it hard for some families or individuals to pay for college education. In today’s economy, a lot of jobs and even most promotions require a college degree. With the cost of education being so high, many potential students have avoided higher education for fear of debt. However, if more people could get their college degree after high school, it would not only help the individuals but also society as a whole. Therefore, the United States of America should provide free post-secondary education for all its citizens.
Going to college or technical school is a big step towards achieving a rewarding career. However, after earning their degree, college graduates have found themselves with a huge debt burden, and the …show more content…

However, there are many funding options at the hands of the American government. According to “Should College Be Free? Pro, Cons, and Alternatives”, some of the ideas that have been proposed include: closing corporate tax loopholes that allow companies to legally avoid paying their full share of taxes, increasing the tax rates for America’s wealthiest millionaires and billionaires, implementing new taxes on speculative Wall Street transactions, diverting most of the public money currently spent on student financial aid toward making all public colleges and universities tuition-free instead, decreasing the military budget and cracking down on wasteful government spending (Redd). All of these are great options to fund free higher education for every American, with staggeringly high benefits and payoffs. After just four years, the first freshman class to receive a free college education will graduate college virtually debt free and ready to contribute to the …show more content…

America has battled for many years to increase access to education while also making it more affordable, and it’s time we end this debate. Under the American College Promise, students, both traditional and nontraditional, can attend community college for two years for free (“White House”). This was America’s first attempt at providing a universally affordable education option. However, this effort fell short of the expectations. Some states have tried different ideas to help their students and adults get the education needed. One example is in Tennessee. Governor Haslam started a program called the Promise. The Promise was started to help students with their tuition, but that’s not the only thing the Promise helps with. The Promise helps with mentoring their students so that they can be successful in what they put their minds to (Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation (TSAC). Both the states and the federal government have conducted trials in the grand scheme for increased access to higher education. However, the results have yet to be conclusive. Universal access to higher education would allow for a harmonic relationship between the power of the federal government, and the rights and the interests of the individual