Should Tuition for Public Colleges and Universities be Free?

Tuition for public colleges and universities has been steadily increasing over time, while wages for those already in the work sector have not increased alongside the rising costs of tuition, as well as the cost of living in general. In these times, some parents cannot afford to pay for their child’s college education.

This brings financial aid into the equation, which in itself has a host of issues. Due to the skyrocketing costs of college tuition in general, people who are forced to have to seek out financial aid. These financial burdens wind up falling on eighteen year old people, who are newly out of high school, and perhaps not fully understanding of what they are signing up for.

If a student were to receive financial aid for a full four-year education, they will inevitably be on the hook for tens of thousands of dollars in loans that they will now have to begin to pay. On top of that, the job market itself is full of these entry-level positions that need a Bachelor’s Degree or more. This forms an exponential amount of applicants for a much smaller amount of available jobs in the market. Because of this, college graduates have to take lower paying jobs, often not even in their field of study, to be able to pay the bills, afford to eat, and have adequate shelter above their heads.

These lower-paying jobs do not adequately pay enough for someone to be able to begin to pay off these student loans, which often lead to wage garnishment, putting an even worse financial burden on these young graduates. The fact is that rising tuition rates, joint with low wages, have created a host of issues for young graduates. Thus, college tuition should be free at all public colleges and universities. This free education would decrease the financial burden forced on the younger generation.