One of the most current and most compelling debate topics of the 21st century has the attention of millions of kids in the United States. Some kids dream of toys, some dream of sports cars and some dream to be successful. Not every kid is put into the perfect situation where they do not need to worry about how they are going to afford college. For some kids, it is not even a realistic thing to think about while other kids are handed cars, money, and their future. Secondary education is a luxury that many take for granted while others would die to be able to afford just that. A solution to this problem is free college for all kids in the United States to even the playing field. Bernie Sanders is a huge advocate and most well-known due to it being a big part of his campaign this past election. A big reason he did not make it past the primaries is because some were unsure free college would be a good idea. Sadly, there is much more to it than snapping your fingers and college is free. There is also the idea that college pricing should be left alone and to let it continue to increase exponentially. College tuition has already rose over a thousand percent since 1978 so why stop now? (Ellison) If there is not a glaring problem, then there is no need to do any drastic changes. This brings me to the third option and that is that college should not necessarily be free but it should be cheaper and more aid should be given to those in need. These options are three completely different options with completely different reasons, and outcomes. Each one has its own pros, cons, risks, and benefits and just like in any case the risks must be worth the rewards.  There must be a way to be fair  to all families regardless of, income while also not ruining the economy. While this paper will mainly focus on Bernie Sanders free college plan it also consists of ideas from free college altogether.. The increasing student loan debt provides a call to action to change the current system that is in intact, and while free college could be a possible option in the future it is not the answer for the uncertainties it could produce in our economy, and instead we should look into a cheaper more affordable answer like increasing financial aid for those in need or creating a form of income based repayment plan after graduation.

Throughout history there have been other countries that experimented with free college. There have been countries that did it and it didn’t work out along with countries that tried it and still implements it today. For example, there is currently free college in Norway, Sweden, and Germany just to name a few(Jackson). Some of these countries even provide free college for foreign exchange students. At one point, there was free tuition in Australia and it did not work out and it is now back to a normal system(Luscombe). Also, college was even free in America back when Lincoln signed the Land Grant College Act in 1862(Ellison ). There are also countries like Japan, Canada, and the U.S that have built strong economies without free tuition. To mention the third option there is a system in China that most students only pay a cheap rate of about $3,000. This is all to show how there is a variety of options and how different systems can work in different places so obviously, there is a fair argument for all sides. It is mostly relevant because the current system is not ideal for everybody and there are others available so why not explore. If there was not a problem then there wouldn’t be so many people researching ways to fix and change it. 

Free college comes with many positives’ but also many negatives as well.  There must be more than enough positives to consider due to the fact that there are multiple successful European countries currently doing this. In 2015, there was $1.3 trillion dollars in student loan debt and that number is only increasing more every year(Trade-schools.net). To clarify, that is not a typo. There are 12 zeros following the one in that number. That is a very large number and a very large problem. Obviously, this number would not disappear overnight but if college was free then that number certainly would not be increasing. Currently, the cost has increased by 1,122 percent since 1978Ellison). That is a ridiculously high number is such a short period of time. Particularly focusing on Bernie Sanders plan, if college was free it would just transfer the debt to the government rathet than the students and the country would also be providing more than double in aid than it does now while also not providing aid based on income and those who can afford it would get more than needed which would not even the playing field like the original intentions.(James) If it is not obvious enough, allowing this number to continuously increase is a horrible idea and this is a serious subject because not only is the student debt so high but that money could be used more efficiently like putting it back   into the consumer economy to help spread the wealth. A big problem in the American economy is that the rich have gotten richer and the poor has gotten poorer(Heller). Every day the obstacles of a young, determined, and unfortunate person get harder and harder. Some live by the saying “It is not about where you started but where you end up”. This quote is challenging because not every poor and unfortunate person has the determination and upbringing to make it out of the projects or even just a poor school district. It is true that anything is possible and anybody can do anything but regardless it is unfair. Every student regardless of race, wealth or anything in between should be given a fair opportunity to continue onto a secondary education. In order to make these opportunities fair for all free secondary education is necessary because of the lack of income from the lower income families in the American society. Although it is unfair to make someone else pay for another’s education there are some things that should be given to citizens regardless of their income status. Education is one of those things and this is necessary because not only does it make our society more intelligent but will lead to a better economy, and more scientific innovation. It is like an investment, if you invest in free education it will lead to a smarter, healthier, and stronger society(Davidson). With all these benefits, our countries possibilities are unlimited. It is essentially the bumps in the road when getting to this ideal outcome that makes free college less appealing.

Although there are many benefits of having secondary education there is also many negatives that debatably outweigh the positives. The first problem and possibly the biggest problem is where all this money is going to come from. These classrooms need renovations, teachers need to be paid and that’s just a few examples of the many expenses of a public university(Davidson) Everybody has heard the saying “nothing in life is free” and that is 100% correct. Everything always has a cost whether its tangible or intangible. This money is going to come from the people’s pockets regardless of what the government would do. The money must come from somewhere else to make up for the all the money they would have to put down to make it free. The budget would either take money from the military, from veterans, but most likely taxes would just increase or a mix of all the above(James). In the end, the people will be paying for it regardless so the people would question whether it is worth it. If people have less money from the higher taxes it would regress the economy due to less investing and spending(Heller). Another thing to note is that if college was free how would the colleges cope with all the excess students coming in. If college was free there would be more wait lists and less available spots(Hemelt). To sum it up, by making taxes free, it just makes education worse because there are less spots available for students to fill but at least it is fair to all due to it not being about family income and just about grades. Also, since there is no competition between schools, since they are all free, it would decrease a necessity for higher quality living while in college. Things like brand new classrooms, better landscaping, and better teachers would no longer be needed since students will come anyway. Students also would become less independent. When an 18-year-old leaves their home to live on their own for the first time it is a big transition that many are not prepared for and if students do not have to worry about a money situation it will make them not grow independent because they will not learn how to live on their own budget. Another huge problem with tuition free college is that college still would not be free. There is a lot more that goes into the cost of college than just tuition. The student would still have to pay for housing while in attendance along with their books and other various needs(Jackson). This is just another one of those things one would not think about before jumping into the idea of free college.

Those are just some of the many reasons as to why free tuition would be a bad move for the United States. There are also many things that remain unpredictable and should also be considered when making such a drastic change in society and the economy. The biggest thing people are uncertain of is the seriousness of a college degree if it is free. If it was free would everybody still take it as seriously and would school be as competitive. There is just so much less to lose when you are not directly paying for it. Even though the student is technically still paying for it the idea of it being free that is put in their head will cause the student to be less efficient and less caring(Luscombe). Also, if college was free less people would  attend because the government could only pay for so many spots so it would be more competitive to get in. This same reason could also increase the need for a private university. The government would only be paying for public universities so it could increase private university attendance because it means so much more in the eyes of the public(Heller). There is also the other side that believes since only the wealthiest could afford the private university that the private university would be forced to cut back costs or go out of business. In an article about Bernie Sanders plan by the U.S News it states, “In contrast, free public college would limit choice as many private institutions, now trying to compete with a highly-subsidized, free public option, would likely struggle to survive” (James) which supports this claim. It is likely that this happens when compared to all the European countries that have free tuition. In every country that has free tuition, they have a substantially lower percent of students that go to college. As of now the United States stands around 94% while Germany has 62%(Jackson). While it seems all high and mighty on paper that the United States would benefit from free college there are many little things that need to be considered and measured before proceeding. These are all “What-Ifs” and this should have those in favor of tuition free college questioning whether it is a good idea to jump from one side of the spectrum all the way to the other side. Those that want to take that leap need to realize that the economy is a fragile thing just like in the movies when you transport back in time and kill a butterfly it can have a huge impact on the present. People need to be more aware of that and meet in the middle. It is obvious to most people that with all the student loan debt piling up in this country a change is needed. This change should be taken one baby step at a time. Instead of flipping the budget completely, there should be an increase in federal Pell grants issued to lower and middle class  families. This increase in grants would make it a lot more affordable and seriously help people who need the money. Another idea that could be implemented as a median between the current system and free college would be to use an income based repayment plan. The way it works is that after you graduate and get a consistent income there will be payments on your loans that is a small percent of your income. If you work for the government (police offices, teachers, etc.) then you would only have to make payments for 10 years then the rest disappears and it would be 25 years for those who do not have a government related job (Weston Legal). Countries like Sweden and other European countries use a system like this and it has worked for them. If things like the income based repayment plan or increased financial aid works out, then maybe free college could work in America but for now nothing is guaranteed. 

Right now, the American economy and society is more fragile than a IPhone screen and things need to be proceeded with caution. While it is obvious that college is currently too expensive for the average American it is unnecessary to freak out. It is not that free college cannot work in America for it is very possible that it could end up being extremely beneficial. It is that there are other better, safer options like increased financial aid budget for those who need it or even the income based repayment plan. It is also noted that as of now it is not bad enough to hit the panic button which is why a median could be tested instead. The biggest issue of switching from the current system to a free tuition system is the uncertainty of the some of the results. There have been mixed results in different places. While Europe has thrived, Australia has suffered. It is also important to see that the current system works to just look at Japan and Canada. The last thing America needs is to mess up and waste time and money to result in a bigger hole than once started.
