Free Community College Analysis

Having free community college encourages high school graduates to pursue a higher education. Tuitions and fees for four-year institutions have increased by 3.4 percent each year from 2005 and 2015 (Morris). The increasing cost of tuition for four-year universities turns away students from automatically going to a university, thus leading them to go to a community college instead. However, they still run into some financial troubles there. Students are most likely to apply for a community college if the government reduces the paperwork they have to fill out for financial aid (Goral). Having free community college would benefit every student and it could help reduce the student debts owed in the country. Students will be more encouraged to attend …show more content…
Saying that it is “free” does not mean it is. President Obama’s proposal to fund community colleges will cost about $60 billion (Morris). Taxes would most likely rise for the middle class and put the country into more debt. Many people also believe that making community college free would have no impact on a student and his or her success. Judah Bellin of Mind the Campus, the online magazine of the Manhattan institute’s Center for the American University says, “Only about 20 percent of community college students actually transfer to four-year institutions. It’s not clear how simply making it easier for students to attend these schools would approve their outcomes” (qtd. in Goral). However, some students attend community college to get an associate degree because the career they want to pursue only requires two years of college. As Dr. Martha Kanter states, “Calling the college promise plans free has more to do with giving hope to students who might otherwise think college is out of their reach,” Kanter says, “…But a student who doesn’t think that [college] is possible, ‘free’ means a door to the future” (qtd. in Morris). If the government was to help the students and make community college tuition fee free, many students would take the opportunity to pursue a higher …show more content…
Students would then have the opportunity to be successful and live their lives, not having to worry about paying back the money that they borrowed to get through their college education. Adults returning to college would be more skilled going back into the workforce because they had the opportunity of completing their college education at no cost. Overall, having free community college would benefit not only students but the country