Premium Essay

Community College Tuition-Free Study

Submitted By
Words 851
Pages 4
With the development of society and the improvement of technology, our need for higher educated people and high-tech talents is growing. President Obama proposes making community college tuition-free for responsible students, in order to let more students receive the bachelor’s degree and earn skills that meet employer needs. The proposal is a good starting point because more students can have the opportunities to get higher education, especially for students who are from low income families. On contrast, the government has not enough funds to pay off the tuition fees and free tuition might bring some negative impacts to student, such as a decline in the quality of teaching, and student will care less about their study, so I consider it is …show more content…
In the last decade, the government has spent more money than they have. The money is used in the economic and technical changes, wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, bush tax cuts and so on, and not using it to pay off the national debt. “$12.7 trillion added to the debt over the last decade” (2011), it means the government cannot afford the tuition fee for all students. In addition, the government gets money from tax revenue, fees, fines, penalties and so on, and they are from people’s hard-earned money. To put it in another way, it means the college is not tuition free, but in fact, people just “pay” for the tuition fees in a different way. What’s more, student spends much more on their lives than their tuition fees. For example, student needs to pay the rent, textbooks, transportation fees, and other living costs. In the research, “Trends in College Price”, it shows that dependent students from families which annual income is less than $65,000, receives enough aid money to cover tuition, fees, and some other expenses. In my point of view, we can increase people’s income and lower prices instead of making the tuition …show more content…
Free college might bring a surge in the number of students, resulting in a decline in the quality of teaching, and the shortages of equipment. For instance, approximately 23,000 students studying at De Anza College now. (De Anza College website) Although the college has online classes, many students still cannot register for the class. Also, the parking lots are not enough, and it costs me 15 minutes to find a parking space. Moreover, not many people will cherish the free thing. If students did not have to pay their own tuition, many students would be absent, do not listen carefully in class and so on. However, students may care more about their studies and work hard when they pay for their own education. Also, student’s financial capacity may grow weaker because they do not have to care about the money, but student loans benefit students to learn how to manage their money. Good credit score is significant in the United States, and student loan can help students to build up a good credit history which is very useful after school. Based on these negative impacts, I consider that tuition should not be

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Community College Cost Analysis

...It’s no secret that financing a college education is getting tougher. College costs have skyrocketed over the past decade or so but, and there is relief insight. Average tuition at four-year colleges will increase seven percent this school year. Recently, President Obama unveiled his “ America’s College Promise” program - a plan to make two years of community college education available free of charge to “everyone who’s willing to work for it”(Sean). This program would help reduce student debt and increase the number of college graduates . Since its creation, community college has aimed to provide open access to higher education. Today, the average cost of community college remains approximately one third the cost of average tuition at a public four year institution. However, tuition and fees only represent a quarter of the total cost of attending a community college. Total annual costs of non-tuition related expenses such as off-campus room and board, books, and transportation for a full-time,...

Words: 587 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

College: Is It Really Worth It?

...2016 College: Is It Really Worth It? The American Collegiate System has various pros and cons that many young adults in America have come to either admire or despise. One of the main controversial focus points within this system is the cost and quality of education within American systems. America has been known to have the most expensive collegiate system when compared to any other system around the world. Although many individuals believe that a college education is a prerequisite for being able to receive financial stability and health, is it really worth the thousands of dollars worth of debt an years worth of time? In America, there are countless job possibilities that are available to accommodate every individual’s interests. Although there may be numerous jobs available for everyone, there are costly consequences. In today’s modern workforce, the majority of jobs require individuals to obtain a degree, that relates to the job, to ensure they are educated and aware of the specific requirements that the job entails. According to an article written by Alicia C. Shepard, “College is no longer a prestigious milestone, but a consumer product”. Shepard stated that many college students are not attending college to learn, but are there in hopes to receive “their money’s worth” of high GPAs and test scores to help them achieve their desired degree (“College Education”). The Huffington Post states that the majority of young adults are taught to believe that a college education...

Words: 1706 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Rising College Tuition Issue

...Rising College tuition issue While applying to college, the average student should be looking for the school that suits them best. Where the student will grow and succeed as a student, and more importantly as a person, should be the focus of choosing where to attend school. In this modern day and age students can not focus on this. The price of going to a 4 year university is and has been growing exponentially for years,much faster than the average family income is rising, thus making the choice of where a student goes to college almost exclusively based on what their family can afford. Student loans are the main source of how students pay for college, putting the average student in debt right from the start of their adult lives. The issue...

Words: 1436 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Tuition Fee

...especially for international students. International students’ tuition should be reduced because it will bring more international students to schools and it also helps the students to perform better at school. The United States is the second most expensive country for international students after Australia. The average cost for an international student in America per annum in a higher education program amounts to 35,705 US Dollars, while that of an Ivy League school averages to 58,000 US Dollars annually, inclusive of tuition, fees, and living expenses. In fact, the cost is too high that most of the international students are forced to find extra means to raise it. Owing to my own experience as an international student, I am forced to work for up to 4-5 hours a day in restaurants or stores to help my parents pay for the high tuition and at the same time cater for my living expenses. This is quite tricky since one has to strike a balance between work and college studies. This is not only challenging but also has adverse affects in terms of individual’s academic performance. I happened to have a friend who was never able to balance the two, something that saw his grades greatly decline since he probably didn’t have time to study and do homework. My friend had to line up part-time employment, which she had arranged through the university, in which she had to go and babysit for an American family during her free time, and at the same time takes her lessons. This was really...

Words: 1212 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

College Tuition Policy Analysis

...Introduction Vying with other applicants for a job position is difficult without an adequate college education. The primary problem is the rising cost of pursuing a postsecondary education makes it difficult for students to afford and complete their college degrees. Tuition has doubled three times since 1980 and outpaced the nation’s inflation rate, whereas the student loan debt is at its highest at over $1 trillion (Sobel, 85). That is comparably higher than the rate of credit card debt (Education). Current policies by legislators do not directly address setting tuition rates, but establish the parameters and budget for the boards to follow (Weeden 2015). Your proposed alternative to the current tuition policy, by implementing a tuition free...

Words: 1487 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Free Community College

...cost of college. The cost of college has outpaced inflation over the last two decades, and many families are feeling the pinch. Many Americans are looking to other systems, such as those practiced in Germany, of socialized education and wondering why college is so prohibitively expensive. For those reasons, leftist politicians such as Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton and even President Obama himself have offered up free community college as a solution. The president’s words on the topic “That’s why I am sending this Congress a bold new plan to lower the cost of community college – to zero.” are bold (Obama citation). However concerns about the cost of this type of...

Words: 1843 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

The Pros And Cons Of Community Colleges

...Despite the potential for community colleges to advance their students’ careers and earnings, student graduation rates are abysmal. According to a report by National Center for Education Statistics, 13 percent community college student complete their degree in two years, 22 percent graduate in three years, less than 30 percent have earned a degree in four years (Figure #). A separate study of California community colleges found that only 24 percent were able to either transfer to a four-year college or obtain an Associate's degree within 6 years. We identify six factors in the literature explaining poor community college completion rates:lack of student preparedness, lack of personalized support from understaffed counselors and teachers, uncertainty...

Words: 685 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Senior Citizen in College

...Kevin T. Ellis English 155/Ms. Quinn 26 March 2013 Essay Should Colleges Accept Senior Citizen Student Imagine sitting next to someone’s father or grandmother in a classroom, at first it may feel awkward having a senior age classmate. Later you find they are just well on their subjects both in the classroom and online, and might be someone to consider as a study buddy on a class project. Keep in mind to those older Americans returning to school, the world of the classrooms, can seem both foreign and intimidating. For some senior citizens, taken online courses also eliminate the fear of feeling out of place, where being in a class full of decades-younger students may make them feel, shamed at not having completed their education. Being an online student, they do not have to share their ages or educational background. The flexibility of online courses is also beneficial for seniors with ambulation problems, allows them to still work on class assignments from home. When thinking of education and senior citizens that are returning to school with hopes in getting the degree they missed in the past has their families feeling very proud just to think that they're actually taking advantage of the opportunity that the government has given them to go back to school. Younger students are true believers of the fact that no one is ever too old to learn. The older generations, with the disruption of the wars and the increasing financial insecurities, had to take a back seat to the...

Words: 2533 - Pages: 11

Premium Essay

Post-Secondary Education

...society. Many students in the United States tend to focus on their studies and work hard to receive good grades. Most importantly, the financing of most student’s post-secondary education tuition has become difficult in today’s economy due to the costs. According to American Progress, “a recent study by Georgetown University’s Center on education and workforce found that at current levels of production, the U.S. economy will have a shortfall of five million college-educated workers by 2020.” (Bergeron & Martin). This shows that the cost expense of college causes five million college educated workers to decrease. Five million people who do not have a post-secondary degree due...

Words: 1791 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Argumentative Essay: Should Community College Be Free?

...Community college should not be free because there's a higher chance that students will drop out, students with a higher GPA will apply to community college leaving the average students without a spot, and it wouldn’t be fair for those students who are going to a four year college and have to pay when at community college it is free. Community college is already cheap and it gives low income families an opportunity to attend college. It already offers a free year and it is not fair for those who want to get a real college life experience. Community college is different from a four year college because it is cheaper and is only for two years. When speaking about cheaper, it is cheaper by hundreds of dollars. In the article “Should community college be free?” written by Joanne Jacobs published on February 23, 2015 on US News and World Report claims that “community college tuition already is free...

Words: 664 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Summary: The Effect Of College Tuitions

...College tuition price is like buying a new car every year. The Average college tuition is around $30000 - $60000 Per year. The average car price is around $30,000 to $50000 for a new car. College is too expensive sometimes, especially for parents that earn $30000 per year. College will become their yearly income. The Problem this is is because others don’t want to have a big debt, then they just not attend college. The Effect is later in life when they don’t have a good yearly income, as they would with a college degree. College tuitions cause people not to go to college. Since the tuitions affect the ones who can’t afford the college tuition. A possible solution would be cutting the tuitions by at least 50%. College is too expensive...

Words: 697 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Paying the Way

...Stupidity is Free. A Degree is Not. A brief history Harvard College was one of the first colleges founded in the United States; upon its conception, the college’s main purpose was to train young men for the ministry. Harvard was modeled after Oxford and Cambridge universities (About Harvard College). During the early 19th century, smaller colleges were founded to help young men transition from rural farms to urban occupations. Prestigious colleges at the time became more exclusive by concentrating on the children from wealthy families, ministers and a few others. Those prestigious colleges and universities are still very exclusive today mainly due to their expensive tuition. Students who attend these colleges are generally from wealthy families, have scholarships for high academic achievements or graduate with extremely high loan debts. In the early 20th century, junior colleges or now known as community colleges were created to prepare students for the final two years of college. Later in the 20th century state colleges were created to provide higher education at a lower tuition cost. Due to the rise of community and state colleges, students now have the opportunity for higher education, and college became part of the American dream for both students and their parents. Over the past, half a century students have been working diligently to prepare for college with the hopes of graduating with a degree that will provide them with the career of their...

Words: 3018 - Pages: 13

Premium Essay

Should College Be More Tax Supported?

...RUNNING HEAD: College be more tax supported Should college be more tax supported? Jermaine Coble English 120 Dr. Sonya Brown February 17, 2009 As a student at Fayetteville State University you will pay $8,000 a year for tuition. For four years at this university, you will pay around $32,000, which is a lot of money. However, if you chose to enroll at the University of Chapel Hill, tuition would be $15,040 a year. For four years, you would pay around $60,160. (UNC 2008) This is a lot of money. Most people have to take loans out to pay for college and when they graduate they are already in debt to banks. Now, think about how the first thirteen year of your education was paid for by taxes and the government. The government should just pay for four more year. Are programs like Pell Grant working to help lower our tuition? What does our former president and president think about the topic? We go through thirteen years of free public education or what seemed to be free. According to The Washington Post, it cost on an average $8,322 a year for one child to go to public school. For a senior in high school tax payer have spent on an average of $108,186 on one child. If taxes pay for thirteen years of public schooling, why not pay for four more years of higher education at state supported colleges? The cost of college would be cheaper for tax payers’ then public school because only about three fifths of high school seniors who graduate from high school actually...

Words: 1619 - Pages: 7

Free Essay

The Negative Effects of Tuition Fee Increase to the Academic Performance of First Year Students of the University of Mindanao

...The Negative Effects of Tuition Fee Increase to the Academic Performance of First Year Students of the University of Mindanao GROUP 6 Setting Problem The Problem And Its Setting Tuition fees are fees charged for instruction during higher education. Tuition payments are charged by educational institutions in some countries to have funding on school equipment, staffs, teachers, and facilities to provide a comfortable learning experience. In some countries there are no or only nominal amount of tuition fees in all forms of education, including Universities and higher education institutions. In a country like the Philippines tuition fee is a very sensitive thing for every Filipino once it increases a wave of reaction follows. It’s no surprise since the country is still in developing state and probably millions still under the poverty line defining the economic status of every Filipino. When we have a closer look of the problem you probably see the reality in which it affects as much as tuition fee is concerned, the academic performance of students. Students who choose to stay in school may have to work longer hours at more demanding jobs to cover their expenses. This can interfere with academic performance. A 2002 study by the State Public Interest Research Group's Higher Education Project found that working full-time can harm grades. Forty-two percent of survey respondents reported that working hurt their academic progress, and 53 percent reported...

Words: 3147 - Pages: 13

Premium Essay

College Should Be Free

...College should be free Is college too expensive? Should college be free? College is a great place to further an education and become certified or earn a degree. Many people don’t get to experience college not because they don’t want to but because they can’t afford it. According to College Data “in-state public college tuition for the 2013-2014 academic year averaged $22,826.” Grade school education is free to kids and paid for through tax payers, lottery, sponsors, and government assistants and so should college. To attend in state College should be free for anyone who has the grades and met the state requirements because not all families have the money, no one should be paying to better themselves and expand their knowledge, and college is not a guarantee of a job, due to this economy and job cuts. College is an important place in one’s life, its where all the growing up take place, a lot of responsibility is required, and where education is furthered to make a better future for oneself take place. Many kids are robbed from this opportunity because of the expense of college. My friend a straight A students didn’t have the financial backing in his house whole to attend any four year university, even with the help of financial aid he would have had to take out multiple loans within his first year of college, he strived and worked hard in school to make good grades to get into college to pursue his degree in his field of study to get a great job and take care of his...

Words: 1276 - Pages: 6