Free Community College-No, Thanks

     President Obama proposed the concept of free community college last year,  and I have to admit that this sounded fantastic, at first.  Essentially, the plan is this:  tuition will be free of charge to those enrolled in school at least half-time, provided they are working towards a four year degree and maintaining a 2.5 GPA.  And, the government is going to foot most of bill, covering a massive 75%, while leaving the remaining 25% for the states. (1)   Sounds like a brilliant idea, at least until you think about it for a while.  I find it highly unlikely that this plan will actually ever see the light of day, and to that, I say, good.

     Now, why would a 34 year old community college student with a mortgage be against free tuition?  Well, for starters, nothing is free.  The federal government would have to put up $60 billion in the next ten years just to get the ball rolling. The states would have it easy, at a mere $20 billion.(2)  I am not very good at math, but how exactly does this work for a nation that has a debt of over $18 trillion?(3)  Let that number sink in for a minute. Now think about this number- "57,803,468 – That’s the number of new homes you could buy, given that the average American home costs $311,400" with $18 trillion.(4)  We, as a nation, simply cannot afford to do this.

    Even if we had a surplus of $18 trillion, I still say we should not offer free tuition.  I am a firm believer that if you want something, you have to work for it.  Education is expensive, without debate, but tuition at a community college is not unreasonable.  On average, the cost of tuition per year is $5,023.(5)  If a full-time job does not cover the cost, there are a multitude of scholarships, grants and work-study programs available to those that prove a financial need, not to mention student loans. (though this is a less than desirable option)  Many of these programs require effort, as they should.  One may have to make high grades, work when it is inconvenient, or even go without luxury items.  One just has to be willing  to take advantage of the resources already available to them, and perhaps be willing to make some personal sacrifices.   It is much harder to give up on a goal when one has worked so hard for it versus when it is simply handed to them.

     Let us ponder something else.  Community colleges have low success rates as it is.  Consider statistics from Austin Community College.  "ACC’s four-year average graduation rate is 6 percent, the transfer-out rate is 34 percent, and the retention rate is 56 percent, according to the Integrated Postsecondary Data System of the National Center for Education Statistics".(6)   If learning here became tuition-free, the numbers would certainly drop, as those attending for the sole purpose of it being "free" would not be properly invested in their education.  And why should they be?  It would cost them nothing.   Even if they were to graduate or transfer, the GPA requirement almost guarantees minimal effort.  2.5?!  I find it almost insulting that people could coast through school, for free, aspiring to be nothing more than average.  We would be breeding a nation of (even more)laziness and entitlement.

     Now let us pretend the money is not an issue and all that attend go on to graduate.  What will this do to the "value" of the degree they obtain?  Supply and demand will be gone.  It would no longer be enough to just have a degree for a job, because everyone would have one.  This will only compound the issue of graduates fresh out of school without a paycheck in sight.  (But the degree will look nice in a frame!)  Since 2013, the employment rates for recent grads has been improving (except for journalism and communication), but were just anyone able to go to college, it would surely result in another bout of massive unemployment.(7)  Can we not focus on job-based training for high school students instead of touting that college is for everyone?  You know, put people in jobs where they cannot only be successful, but support themselves? 

     While the idea of free community college seems very appealing, it can only hurt our nation.  Spiraling debt, laziness, entitlement, and unemployment are only a few issues that would result.  I think it is admirable that people want to better themselves and choose college as a means to do so.  However, it makes little sense to offer free tuition.  Work for it, like so many others have done before.    



(1)https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/01/09/fact-sheet-white-house-unveils-america-s-college-promise-proposal-tuition

(2)http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steve-siebold/obamas-americas-college-p_b_6510592.html

(3)http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steve-siebold/obamas-americas-college-p_b_6510592.html

(4)https://generationopportunity.org/articles/2014/12/04/much-18-trillion-worth-really/)

(5)http://www.communitycollegereview.com/avg-tuition-stats/national-data

(6)http://www.austincc.edu/graduation-retention-and-transfer-rates

(7)http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/23/unemployment-journalism-major-college-graduate_n_6737496.html