Tuition-Free Programs Beneficial To Students And Colleges Essay

Carter Galjour

Dr. Jenna Portier

ENGL 102

8 March 2023

Are Tuition-Free Programs Beneficial to Students and Colleges? The increasing problem in the United States right now concerning student access to higher education opportunities is that typically the average student is unable to afford college. Many of those same students who are unable to afford college are very academically proficient and have the potential to succeed in college. As a solution to this ever-growing problem some states, governing bodies, and colleges have decided to implement Tuition-Free Promise Programs for students who cannot afford college. All of these programs have different but similar requirements and standards you must meet. Usually, requirements will consist

Promise programs have many great benefits including, access to higher education, tuition assistance, housing assistance, and even access to free meal plans to name a few. Access to higher education is very important for anyone in this day and age as many jobs won’t even look at your application if you don’t have a college education. Likewise, access to housing and tuition assistance are two big factors as the majority of students who want to gain a higher education are unable to do so as they are not financially capable. In addition to a Promise Program, many more students will be able to access literature and other resources to become proficient in academic subjects. Nguyen states in the article, “Our study provides the first evidence of enrollment responses to a state-wide promise program within the four-year sector and adds new results to the fast-growing free-college literature.” (Nguyen) In this academic research study, Nguyen conducted, his results stated that the state-wide promise program has been successful and he added that it is providing a fast-growing, free-college literature environment which in turn is making students more academically proficient. This program allows students to access all of the essential things any college student can need, overall giving them the knowledge needed to

Although tuition-free programs may seem like a very great thing all around there are still some downsides to them. The main disadvantage is that students who can already afford college may affect those who cannot afford college by abusing the free-tuition system. Another disadvantage would be that implementing these programs may hinder a student from being forced into attending college when that said student may not want to attend college or may not be academically proficient enough to succeed in a college setting. The author states that these programs “could end up hurting disadvantaged students by diverting them to colleges where they're less likely to succeed and that it could provide free tuition to those who can already afford it.” (Mangan) The author basically states here that many students who can already afford college will end up getting it free, as well as the students who may be academically disadvantaged may end up suffering by being forcefully diverted to go to college, causing them unlikely success. There are a lot more disadvantages than Mangan goes over in this article but the ones stated are the most important and impactful on the student and/or university. Overall, the author believes that tuition-free college programs should not be allowed and that they provide more potential