Should College Be Free Essay

Bernie Sanders, a United States senator, said when running for president, “Higher education must be a right for all-not just wealthy families.” Today in America, there is a debate as to whether or not college should be free. Some people agree that college should not be free because it doesn't benefit them. Some people say that college should be free because it benefits so many people.

The first reason college should be free is that it can help reduce enormous student debt. The first evidence that college should be free is that student debt has risen so much over the past 50 years. “Student loan debt rose 317% between 1970 and 2021, and public college costs rose 180% between 1980 and 2019. Students are coming out of college already buried under

College is essential but has an irrational cost, so people who can't afford college, are not able to go. “Not all students and families can afford college. It is widely accepted that while college is increasingly necessary, it is also increasingly unaffordable. Lopez (2019) studied the detrimental effects of the high cost of college education and concluded that financial factors affect the persistence of students of lower socioeconomic status” (Bouchrika). This evidence shows that college is a very expensive thing, and some people who want a college education can't pay for it because they have a lower income. Everyone should be able to go to college, even if they have a lower income. Because college is so expensive, students aren't able to pay, so they have to drop out or procrastinate their graduations. “Some students drop out because they do not have the ability to pay for tuition all four years. In fact, over 50% of students drop out of public universities because they can’t afford it! 79% also delay their graduations because they have to switch to part-time or return at a later date due to costs” (Why Should College Be Free). This explains why not only people in their first years but people who have been in college for a couple of years are dropping out because of how much college costs. College is an essential thing, but many people don't get the

This means that society can progress at a faster rate. If more people went to college, more people would be educated, which can help society and the economy. “Additionally, people with education can better understand the history of their society and its current economic conditions. As such, they may be more inclined to participate in politics and improve their country” (Nair). This shows that when people get a college education, it can help out the society; if college were free, society would be even better. When students aren't in debt, they can get their lives together, get jobs, and do other things. “The beneficiaries of the free tuition contributed to the economy by buying cars and homes, and getting jobs after college, while not being burdened by college debt. They contributed to society with higher levels of volunteering, voting, and charitable giving” (Free College-Top 3 Pros and Cons). This explains why student debt is so bad that students can't get their lives together. Free college would help students not be worried about debt. If college were free, society would be amazing. This evidence clearly shows that college should be free because it can help society in many different