Recently, politicians across the United States have debated whether or not college should be free. Although this idea seems incredible, it certainly has its flaws. There are a variety of problems in the plan to erase student debt and create a free college system across the country. However, recently the National Student Clearinghouse did a survey with data concluding that 47% of community college students drop out of school, and even more research shows that completion rates decline as students pay less , suggesting that free tuition across the country could lead to an increase in the dropout rate. Along with an increase in dropouts, top universities will begin to overcrowd and teachers will begin to struggle. Not only will their salaries be difficult to pay, but the majority of teachers will end up having classrooms filled well beyond capacity, putting students at a disadvantage. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay As much as I like the idea of ​​free tuition, as an international student paying over $36,000 a year, I can acknowledge the fact that it would never work. For starters, the most prestigious universities and top-ranked party schools would be the best choices for incoming freshmen. Small schools, private schools, and universities that are not nationally known would begin to struggle with student populations. They would not be able to pay their staff, leading to a massive loss of jobs across the country. Personally, I can name over twenty colleges back home in the state of Illinois that would close their doors because they are not widely known or recognized. At the same time, major schools like the University of Alabama, Harvard University, MIT, etc. would start to be flooded with students. Not only would they not be able to house students, but they would have to receive funds to construct new buildings for classrooms and dormitories. Where would this money come from if students don't pay to go to school? State taxpayers would have to pay for this, which would lead residents of states with many large schools to move to states like Montana, Utah, etc. One of the biggest flaws in the proposal, however, is the degrading value of a diploma in our country. If a bachelor's degree is widely available to anyone, at any time, why should it be more valuable than a high school diploma? I suspect that eventually it would be roughly equivalent to a high school diploma, and students would head into the four-year college system just as they were heading into high school. It would just be four more years of schooling, with incredibly large classes, teachers with no morale, and not enough dormitories. Professional jobs would then require at least the requirement of a master's degree. How would this work? Would the PhD and Masters programs also be free? Should Americans eventually be doctors to work in an entry-level sales profession? Why not? It's free, so employers expect their best potential employees to take advantage of the free education system and go as far as possible. If schools are not regulated, free programs will experiencea sort of “tragedy of the commons”. in which overconsumption leads to resource depletion and subsequent student-driven rationing of courses and programs. When students have the opportunity to attend school without out-of-pocket costs, it will of course be easier for them to drop out of school than if they had just paid for it. Psychologists call this the “sunk cost effect.” People who have invested something important in themselves, whether it's time, effort, or money, are more likely to graduate, afraid of wasting their money or personal time. The idea of ​​free college seems too good to be true, and that's exactly what it means. However, there could be many improvements that would help significantly without making college completely free. According to the New York Times, "Rather than free tuition, we need targeted policies that lead to more money for needs-based aid from public and private institutions, as well as state and federal governments." of the federal government. Although lower net prices would reduce the need for students and their families to borrow for college, federal student loan programs will remain an important tool for improving access to college. Even zero tuition would not eliminate the need for loans, since room, board and travel costs would remain a constraint for some students. I believe this would help low-income students who are struggling to continue their education, without draining our entire education system. I think the issue that is often forgotten when discussing the idea of ​​free tuition is teachers. Educators in the United States are already incredibly underpaid. For example, at the University of Mississippi, several instructors in each department are incredibly underpaid, with a minimum salary of $24,000 per year for an instructor. This is a huge number in America and at major universities, as myself and several thousand students pay almost $40,000 to attend this school. Even with the high cost of schooling, many teachers are still not paid well. I know personally that my professor at EDHE is a postgraduate student and she still has to work 3 jobs. This leaves me stunned. If we're not good enough for our instructors, when college is incredibly expensive, how are we going to pay our amazing professors when school is free? Where will money magically appear from? If state taxpayers were expected to pay teacher salaries, people would start moving to states with sparsely populated universities. Basically, this is because states that have large, recognizable schools like the University of Alabama, University of Southern California, etc. will have a lot of problems when tuition suddenly becomes free and students start heading to these big “dream” schools. Not only would colleges begin to overcrowd, but taxpayers would be forced to pay for a massive increase in the number of teachers. The United States is already not investing enough in our teachers, and the free university is taking a step back from solving this problem. Another problem we would face is the loss of trades across the country. According to The Washington Examiner, Generation Z is joining trade schools and programs at a remarkable rate. I think this would end if college was free, because people who absolutely should.