
To quote one of the most popular English proverbs, “No things in life are free”. This saying holds true for the current tuition system in America. With tuition prices at record high prices, the outcry of the general public to make a change has grown larger and larger. Here in just the last couple of years the argument for implementing a system of universal free tuition in our current governmental system is very prevalent in almost every political debate. With more and more European countries switching to this system of free tuition many of American citizens are puzzled to why we don’t just follow suit. Sadly, it is not that simple. When taking America's current social and economic structure in account, the idea of implementing a system of universal free tuition is farfetched, yet attainable if we were to implement the necessary changes. By diving deeper into these primary issues, it is easy to see the issues hindering a system of free tuition and what changes need to be made.

To understand our current social system in regard to furthered education, we need to look back on the history of our college education system. The very first college established in America was Harvard College in 1636. When the university was first established it was intended to train young men for the ministry and had no actual attendance costs. Students would attend this school under their own drive to want to train and learn more. In the early 1800’s, most of the colleges that were established did not have a set tuition price; however, they did charge many different fees for expenses such as: room and board, books, supplies, etc. Although these expenses may not seem like much the general public was not able to afford all of them, thus causing the majority of the public to remain uneducated at this level. The now known as Ivy-League-Schools, were the first to put in a set tuition price. Harvard College had a tuition price of only $150 a year, though with taking inflation into account, that price would be around $3,000. These were put into place initially to limit the attendance count and keep education only available for the wealthy that could afford it. 

Over the next few decades the government provided more and more financial benefits to the general public as well as the passing of the G.I. Bill in order to help returning veterans from WWII attend college. It wasn’t until 1975 where the rise in prices of tuition started increasing at a higher rate than inflation. This was due large in part to the government placing a large draw pack in government funding of higher education. The universities had no choice but to start raising tuition prices to make up for lost revenue. Even at this point these rates of rising tuition were not near as severe as they are today. The real rise of tuition prices really started spiking in the mid 2000’s. In 2008 tuition prices had gone up over 400% since 1982, even though the average income had only increased by 147%. At this rate, many Americans were no longer able to even attempt to manage these tuition prices. Many people had to delay making major life decisions such as marriage or having kids. These rising tuition prices then spiked an increase in student loans. This system seemed helpful at first but the high interest prices charged them much more than they initially realized. The same issue is still in our current society today. The rates of rising tuition prices are at an all-time high, this leaving more and more students in severe debt straight out of college. This brief history of the rising prices of college tuition shows how a system of free tuition is difficult to attain yet possible with certain changes.

One of the biggest factors that hinders the implementation of this free tuition system is the way higher education is viewed from a social stand point. Many people often view college as a privilege rather than a right. It is a place for the most dedicated students to further their education and progress with their life. Many people, such as New Republic Magazine, argue that because of the prices it is impossible for most people to attend college. I tend to disagree with this opinion. According to CollegeBoard.org, the average yearly price of tuition for a local community college is $3,440. If you were to work a part time job, at minimum wage, you would earn more than enough to cover those costs, as well as the cost of living. If someone really desired a college education they should do their absolute most to work towards that goal.

The biggest issue with today’s society is that college is viewed as something that should be just given instead of earned. The students in college are in college for a reason. They put the effort and time into their work in high school to build up their academic resumes to be sent off to college when applying. Through this process many students often even earn scholarships to pay part, and even sometimes all of their tuition fees. This is a concept that would be eradicated with a system of free tuition. The students who strive and work for their academic successes in high school should be reward rather than gifting all students who do not deserve the privilege. Also, with a free tuition system in place, the value of a college diploma would greatly depreciate. It would become just slightly more impressive than a high school diploma. Thus, pushing people to earn their masters and doctorates in a never ending vicious cycle. These are some of the social dilemmas we would face that we need to consider when looking for things to change for implanting a free tuition system. This doesn’t even begin to cover all of the economic issues that need to be addressed in order to implement a system of free college.

Many people will also look to the fact that many other countries around the world have successfully put into place a system of free tuition, and wonder why we could not just do the same. I mean, if less developed countries like Brazil and Slovenia have free college then why couldn’t we? But see, here where the economic issue come into play. Every countries economy is set up all different kinds of ways. With looking into the way our economy and taxation system is designed, you can see how implementing a system of free tuition in our current state just doesn’t fit into the equation.

Germany on the other hand, being one of the most prominent figures for implementing a highly successful system of free tuition, is a good example of a country with a differing economic basis. In Germany, no matter what Germanic state or region you are in, any student can receive a college education free of tuition prices. The biggest factor that set us as the United States of America apart from Germany is their tax system. When looking at a graph provided by CTJ.org, with respect to the Gross Domestic Product, Germany taxes significantly more of the amount of the percent of Gross Domestic Product than the United States does. This system allows Germany to tax their citizens more, meaning they have more money to put into the education system. With these significantly higher taxes it makes it a lot easier for Germany’s government to pay for the tuition of all the students. 

Another key factor to point out is how Germany has a much lower percentage of their population attend college than we do in the United States. In the United States, on average, we send over 44 percent of our population off to college at some point. Yet, in Germany, that number is drastically lower at only a mere 27 percent. This obviously makes it a lot simpler for Germany to afford a system of free tuition. If you were to really sit down and focus in on the numbers you would see that you are basically spending the same amount of money through taxes that you would be on tuition prices. This would not necessarily affect the people who do plan to attend college but would be greatly unfair to the citizens that do not. In essence, the students that do not attend college are still paying the tuition prices for the students that do through taxes. The system Germany has in place greatly pushes all students to attend college, though many people have other useful skills that do not require a college education. Overall, the system would neglect the citizens that do not wish to attend college by having a system enforces college so heavily.

An important factor to keep in mind is how the recession of 2008 greatly affected our economy in the United States. One of the biggest take-aways from this recession is the detrimental effect it had on the amount of money our states could afford to put into higher education systems. On average, country-wide, we saw a 21 percent decrease on public spending towards state universities. This obviously having a direct effect on the prices of tuition sky rocketing here in the last decade. This issue is no longer in the dark, and now as prominent as ever. Many states have publicly recognized this issue and have plans working on being put into place to increase public spending toward state universities. New York is a good example of a state doing this. According to a CNN Money article, early this year, New York Governor, Andrew Cuomo, made tuition free for lower and middle class families. If a family earns less than $100,000 annually, their children will be eligible for a scholarship to cover all tuition costs, redeemable at any two-year or four-year universities. With these plans being put into place, many economists predict a decrease in tuition prices country-wide here soon in the next couple of years; steps in the right direction for a free tuition system in other states.

With America’s current state, a system of universal free tuition is a far-fetched concept that has little chance of actually being implemented. But making college tuition affordable is not something you must rely on the government to make happen. There are plenty of other ways to make college affordable that you can dictate. The most popular and effective, also previously mentioned, way to cut the cost of tuition is to spend your first two years at a community college earning an associate’s degree before continuing on to a larger university to earn a bachelor’s degree. Prices of tuition at community colleges are much cheaper than those of public or private universities. Also, once you complete two years at a community college look for scholarship opportunities. Scholarship offers are absolutely everywhere and range in monetary value. Not only are there abundant amount of scholarships offered through the actual universities, but also scholarships offered by businesses, charities, and many more organizations. Not only can you receive money from these scholarships but also from Federal student aid. When attending, or applying for college, any student can complete the FAFSA, Free Application for Federal Student Aid. This application is in place to help students receive federal grants to assist them in paying for college. With all of this financial help, it is not very unreasonable for the United states to keep the current tuition system they currently have. The other step in keeping college affordable is just taking all of your opportunities into account and making sure that you have weighed all your options before making a decision.

Keeping college tuition prices low are not a difficult as you may think if you just know how to manage it intellectually. The first step would to include going to a university in the state you reside in. College tuition prices are incredibly more expensive if you attend a university out of state. Staying in state for college can cut tuition price by over 50 percent. Another way you can cut the price of tuition is to graduate early. Take more classes a semester is a popular trend in the United states and it is allowing student to graduate in three years rather than four. This cuts a whole semester of tuition off of your total price. Summer classes most always come at a cheaper price, so one could consider taking a few summer classes. This not only will be cheaper than normal classes but can also help you to graduate early if that is what you choose to do. With all of these options, the price of college tuition is not nearly as high as some people like to make it. 

With all factors being taken into account, it is now more clear why this idea of free tuition would have problems working in the United States. When taking America's current social and economic structure in account, the idea of implementing a system of universal free tuition is just farfetched and unattainable without making the necessary changes. That is not to say there is no hope for a later system to be put into place. But with the social and economic systems in place today, you are better off looking for smart ways to reduce your tuition fees rather than praying for a miracle.
