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Samantha Wackwitz
Mrs. Cramer
Comp I pd. 2
17 March, 2017
Free College Tuition- Good or Bad?
In today's society, a secondary education could mean the difference between poverty and

living comfortably. So, why is there such a large number of people who dont go to college to get

the extra education? The answer is simple: they dont have the money to pay for it. A large

amount of people in the United States skip going to college and getting a degree because college

tuition, as well as other college other expenses, is too much (Josephson). Not only do people skip

college because of the cost of college tuition, but a number of students switch majors from a

career they love to a career that will pay off the debt from their degree (Josephson). This

disconnect could be fixed by simply eliminating tuition fees. This seems like an easy solution to

a major problem. However, there is still a large amount of people who wrongly believe college

tuition should not be free. They look at what could go wrong, instead of seeing what would

definitely go right, like an increase in the number of people who go to college, a decrease in the

amount of debt students are in during, and well after, college, and positive effects on the

economy. College tuition should be free because it would create countless positive changes for

both people, universities, and the economy.

One positive change is that free college tuition would create a boost in the percentage of

people who go to college, versus skipping it and working a dead end job. For example,

enrollment for German universities rose twenty-two percent after tuition became free (Marcus).

However, Germany isn't the only country to experience a rise in enrollment after getting rid of

tuition fees. Scotland, for example, had an increase in enrollment by seventeen percent after

jettisoning, or dropping, tuition fees. This increase in the number of people who enroll for
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college would happen for the United States if it too, were to eliminate tuition costs. In fact,

Georgetown University's Center for Education predicts that university enrollment in the United

States would increase thirteen percent if it too were to take a tuition free stand (Marcus). This

boost in enrollment means more people would receive a wider range of knowledge and skills,

which are necessary as more and more jobs require a postsecondary education (Bergeron).

Therefore, dropping tuition fees and increasing enrollment rates would help more people both

secure and keep a job. With this in mind free tuition seems like a no-brainer.

There are some, however, who disagree with free tuition, saying that an increase in

enrollment without tuition would cause universities to lose an important source of revenue

(Marcus). They continue this argument by stating that tuition is too important to lose, as a large

portion of these fees are used to support research in universities (Leslie). What critics arguing

this dont take into account is that with the extra people comes a boost in the amount of money

the college earns. Some may wonder how this would possible since the colleges would no longer

have the tuition fees. However, the answer is simple: they would replace the missing wages with

money earned from campus businesses and events. Colleges and universities have on campus

stores and food courts that allow students to purchase food, drinks, books for classes, and so

much more. Not to mention, colleges and universities have a number of different organizations

and extracurricular activities that students have to buy tickets to attend as an observer, as well as,

the money brought in from concession stands at these events (Life and Student). There is also a

number of souvenirs and products students and the students families can buy to support the

college in which they attend (Life and Student), which most students do. Therefore, making
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tuition free wouldnt cost the colleges money, but make them money, in addition to helping the

student population stay in a good financial position.1

In addition to higher enrollment rates, free college tuition would help numerous college

students decrease the amount of debt they graduate with. As stated by a member of the German

students' union, Mandy Gratz, "We dont want students to go into debt because they want to

study." (Marcus) Even though, countless college students already have a large amount of debt

from living expenses, such as rent, books, supplies and transportation (Marcus). For example,

Claudia Niessler, a college student in Germany, who has free tuition, still has to work a minimum

of twenty hours a week at a supermarket just to make enough to cover the average living

expenses mentioned above (Marcus). When a college tuition fee is added to this, which in the

United States is a guarantee, students get so in debt that it takes them years to crawl their way out

of it. In the face of this debt a number of students decide to forego their degree and drop out

(Josephson), choosing to get a job at a fast food restaurant or some place similar, to start earning

money right away. This, however, may not cut it soon, as it is predicted that a bachelor's or

associate's degree will be required for sixty-five percent of all jobs as of 2020 (Bergeron). With

this in mind, it is obvious that college tuition should be free.

Although the solution to make college tuition free seems like a no-brainer, there are still

some people who are skeptical because they believe that free tuition would badly impact the

economy. They have these beliefs because free tuition would take away control over what people

study, as they would no longer need to worry as much about their financial issues, and allow

them to get a degree for something they are passionate about, instead of something practical

1 Logos- I used appeal to logic in my counter argument to refute the statement that
an increase in enrollment would cost universities needed money.
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(Josephson). They go on to link this to a failing economy due to a lack of control. However, what

most of these critics fail to acknowledge is how giving students free tuition, and therefore

choices about their future career, would actually help the economy, not hurt it. For example, most

jobs require, or are going to require, a higher-level of knowledge, skills, and abilities best

acquired through a college education (Bergeron). However, with the large number of workers

that skip college because it is too expensive, the United States will end up paling in comparison

to other countries with workers who are better educated and prepared to deal with what the

twenty-first century requires (Bergeron). This means that the less educated the American

population is, the worse off the United States economy is. If college tuition was free, then more

people would go to college and get the degrees needed for them to thrive and help the economy

thrive. Also, the country's productivity and GDP would increase as more people found more

suitable and higher- ranking jobs (Josephson). So, in reality, making tuition free wouldnt worsen

the economy, but in fact make it better.

In conclusion, tuition should be free because it would create countless positive changes.

Free tuition wouldnt just help students trying to get degrees, but it would also help universities

and the economy.2 There may still be some that find this statement untrue, however, they are

wrong. People who hadn't thought college and a postsecondary education was a possibility

would finally be able to consider and plan it. With all the people finally getting a better education

the United States economy would be better. Also, their wouldnt be as many people looking for a

job unable to find one because they dont meet the required standard of having a college degree.

2 Conduplication- I used conduplication, or the repetition of a keyword, to state

benefits of free tuition.
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A college degree is necessary, empowering, and everyone who wishes to have one should get the

opportunity to earn one.3

Works Cited

Bergeron, David A., and Carmel Martain. "Strengthening Our Economy Through

College for All." Center for American Progress. N.p., 19 Feb. 2015. Web. 17

Mar. 2017.

Josephson, Amelia. "The Pros and Cons O Free College." SmartAsset.

Smartasset.com, 15 Sept. 2016. Web. 16 Mar. 2017.

Leslie, Larry, Sheila Slaughter, Barrett Taylor, and Liang Zhang. "How Do Revenue
Variations Affect Expenditures Within U.S. Research Universities." EBSCOhost.
Research in Higher Education, Sept. 2012. Web. 16 Mar. 2017.
"Life at UB." University at Buffalo, The State University of New York. Life at UB, 05

Jan. 2017. Web. 17 Mar. 2017.

3 Scesis Onomaton- This rhetorical term is used to create a statement made up of

different words that refer to or mean the same thing. I used this term to state a list
of reasons college tuition should be free.
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Marcus, Jon. "How Free College Tuition in One Country Exposes Unexpected Pros and

Cons." The Hechinger Report. Higher Education, 18 Oct. 2016. Web. 17 Mar.

2017.

"Student Activities." Slippery Rock University. Life at SRU, n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2017.