American universities should consider tuition-free options
With the Iowa and New Hampshire caucuses right around the corner, the media and presidential candidates are stressing one key issue that sounds enticing to our generation: free college tuition. The idea of attending a public university without the burden of student loans sounds like a dream — one that’s almost too good to be true.
The price of college is growing exponentially every year. Over the course of three decades, college costs have risen 1,120 percent. These staggering statistics are enough for anyone to consider the possibility of a better option for young Americans and their families. Through strategic planning, America can and should implement proposals that transform higher education into an affordable investment for everyone.
Surprisingly, a college education didn’t always come with a hefty price tag. Originally, the Morrill Act established land grants for universities, no tuition payments required. The goal of the act was to provide anybody the opportunity to receive a higher education.
People didn’t worry about tuition costs until the mid-1900’s. Even then, a minimum wage summer job could pay for an entire year’s worth of schooling. Now the cornerstone of federal student aid, the Pell Grant, covers only a fraction of costs, and middle class families receive almost no benefits through federal help like the FAFSA.
Countries around the world, particularly in Europe, have already jumped onto the free tuition bandwagon. Most recently, Germany joined many other countries such as Denmark, Iceland, Mexico, Brazil and Sweden, all of which have no tuition whatsoever or minuscule prices paid for through grant aids.
Other European universities have student fees, but are substantially smaller than American equivalents. Australia and New Zealand utilize a tuition payment system based entirely on yearly incomes after leaving school.
Are these options viable in our own country? Possibly. When considering public institutions, especially Ivy League schools, the people who can afford attending college have no need for help.
Lower class families and minorities are the ones struggling to make ends meet. Beyond the initial payment of tuition, costs such as living expenses, textbooks and activity fees add up to pricy totals. President Barack Obama has previously proposed free tuition for two-year institutions, which, while promising, does nothing to alleviate the pains of earning a Bachelor’s degree.
At the federal level, Congress should propose a tax on the upper class to help lower costs of public universities. They should also reauthorize the Higher Education Act to return grant aid to better support today’s costs of a college degree.
States and universities themselves can also take their own steps in making education more affordable, especially for lower income students who cannot pay for the standardized tests and extracurricular activities expected of them when applying for school initially.
Some schools, such as Harvard, receive enough donations that could easily pay for all undergraduates’ tuitions, thereby inviting a diverse population to apply and pursue higher education. If America allocates funds and asks more from its wealthiest citizens, a dream of affordable, debt-free college could become a reality.
Education is an opportunity that anybody should be able to utilize, no matter his or her ethnicity, gender or financial status. To set up future generations for success, especially in an increasingly competitive world, every American must make lessening the debts and costs of college a priority.
