College is a major stepping stone for people who desire to go into big careers. Most students, every year, focus on what college they would like to go to and stress about getting into their desired college. But imagine a scenario where there is an exceptional student who could get into any college they wanted, but came from a family that couldn't provide the funds for that kid to go to college. That could prove quite a setback in that student's future, a setback not to be blamed on by the student or his family, but rather the unreasonably large tuitions for many desirable colleges across the country. I believe that college should be made tuition-free in the US, because doing so would largely increase the number of well educated individuals in our society and therefore improve it, and it would boost the economy by pulling college students out of debt. These are just a few of many reasons why college should be made free.
Educating more people at a higher level can help society stay healthy and thriving. In fact, according to a report from Pennsylvania's Best Investment, mortality in individuals decreases as much as 7.2% for men and 6% for women for every extra year in schooling. More available education also means that we can bridge the wealth gap between economic classes. Having more people with a college education means that more people can be employed and earn money. So, even if someone's family doesn't have the finances for college, if that person was able to go to college for free and study at a higher level, this could make many more jobs accessible to them, and they could have the opportunity to provide their family with the money they weren't able to acquire before.
Another significant reason why college should be made free is because many students are put under a lot of stress to pay their bills and tuition and can be left in a lot of debt. If college was free, students would no longer have to worry about using their money for their college fees, and instead can freely "earn, save, and spend" money, which in turn boosts the economy (University of the People). You may be thinking, "They're college students! What money do they have to contribute to our economy? They're practically broke!" Shockingly, Refuel Agency reports that college students have an impressive amount of almost 600 billion dollars in "spending power". That's a LOT of money that could be spent and therefore help the economy. Removing financial stress from college students and giving them the freedom to spend it on other things can be incredibly beneficial to the American economy.
Having a substantial college education is a large part of people's lives and a large turning point for their future. Being denied this essential thing can be a big blow to students who deserve it but can't come up with the funds. According to Statista, in 2020, the government provided about 200 billion dollars towards college education! This money could be spent towards trying to remove tuition from colleges, and providing more opportunities to kids that need it. College is a big part of many people's lives, and should be able to be a part of everyone's.
Refuel Agency. www.refuelagency.com/college-
Mitra, Dana. Pennsylvania's Best Investment: The Social and Economic Benefits of Public Education. 27 June 2011. Education Law Center, www.elc-pa.org/wp-content/uploads/201106/BestInvestment_Full_Report_
"5 Reasons Why College Should Be Free: The Case for Debt-Free Education." University of the People, www.uopeople.edu/blog/5-reasons-why-college-
Duffin, Erin. "Federal funds for education and related programs from 1970 to 2020." Statista, 4 Jan. 2023, www.statista.com/statistics/
You make a very convincing argument for college being made free. The statistic about mortality rates among educated people showed how important it is that people are able to go to college. I was also surprised by the amount of spending power held by students.
ReplyDeleteCool blog! The statistics you used were really interesting, and pretty eye opening. I agree that not being able to attend the college you want due to financial reasons is really unfair, and that money shouldn't be a part of that decision.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you!! I think that college is something so incredibly important now that having it for free is 100% viable. Colleges in general expect people to pay crazy prices as well which can be really hard to pay off for a lot of families.
ReplyDeleteI think it's really interesting how you make a point about free college resulting in a larger number of educated people and a lower rate of college debt, which would both be better for the economy. Your blog is so convincing that it makes it hard for me to even think of a counter argument. Good job!!!!
ReplyDeleteThe way you presented the statistics really matched the flow with your blog! I agree, I think colleges should be free since it is such a requirement now but isn't affordable for a lot of people. Stunning blog :)
ReplyDeleteThis topic is one I have thought about a lot and I agree completely with you. One point that I'd never even thought about was the one in which you talked about college students contributing to the economy with less financial stress. Like you said, I didn't expect college students to have such an impact, but their role in the economy is much more than people give them credit for.
ReplyDeleteI liked the points you have made in this blog. There are some people with potential to get into their desired college but their family can't provide the funds to pay for it. It would be more beneficial for the person and for the society more people to get education.
ReplyDeleteYou have great points in this blog post. Your statistics are very convincing, and I completely agree with you. I haven't seen this argument from as much of an economical standpoint before, so all of your points were new to me, making this blog post more interesting. Your statistic about mortality rates was also surprising.
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