College Tuition Should Be Free

A college education is the number one priority for many youngsters, including me. The problem is that the prices of college tuition have been rising over the years. Many students are forced to work-study to get their college degree, and it is very hard to concentrate on studies while working part-time or even full-time jobs. Youth are demanding free college tuition to ease their lives. College tuition at publicly funded schools should be free because it would increase the number of educated people, eliminate student debt, and change or even save people’s lives. The issue of college tuition played an important role during the 2016 presidential campaign between Democratic Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump. The former Secretary
Student loan debt has been growing rapidly since 2006, rising to nearly $1.4 trillion by late 2016, roughly 7.5% GDP (Gross Domestic Product) (Wikipedia). Student loans are a form of financial aid used to help students to pay for college. Even though many students like the idea to borrow the money to be able to concentrate on studies and pay later after they finish their education, many find the student debt stressful. When people get older, they build families and work difficult jobs, and when they realize they owe many thousands of dollars, it makes their life even more difficult. For example, Brittany Verge, 26-year-old Canadian graduate, left college in 2008 owing approximately $25,000 of debt and more than five years later, she has only managed to pay back about $2,000. “My worry is that I'm going to be ... with college-age kids some day and still paying my loan”, says Brittany, college graduate. Students like Brittany who struggle to pay off their loans, have to delay their life milestones, such as getting married, having children, and owning the property (Aleksandra Sagan, CBC
Even though financial aid is customized to help students graduate, still it is considered not enough. Financial aid grants money, but it does not cover all the tuition costs. Many students who get financial aid, still have to go to work to pay for college. Some students are in even harder situations. For instance, when student Marcus successfully transitioned to college, he had to financially support not only himself but his family. The demands such as being a full-time student and working to provide for his family became too much. As a result, Marcus stumbled academically, was on probation, and lost his financial aid (The Conversation). If college became tuition-free for struggling students like Marcus, he would graduate from college faster and still able to help his family. Some critics doubt the federal government can make the college because, without economic pressure, students won’t care enough about the cost and quality of education. In reality, sometimes there is too much economic pressure on students if considering rising tuition costs and accumulating student debt. Public colleges in the United States should charge no tuition fees in order to increase the number of graduates, alleviate student debt, and ease people’s lives. Free college tuition in American public colleges would help those who need it the most. The federal government should step in to make higher education more affordable.