[Editorial] College should be free

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Kaitlyn Johnson, Reporter

Education is valued in almost every part of the world but comes at an expense. Many students stress at the thought of not being able to pay for college, and often don’t attend it given the cost.
With education being the focal point of success, we firmly believe that college should be at no cost.

A wave of controversy has sparked the internet about tuition-free college over the years. Statistics over this debate rule that most are in favor of this stance provided by a survey from Bankrate.com of 5,000, concluding that 62% of them believe in free college. As of right now, there are at least 14 US universities/colleges that have no tuition. A step ahead in the future of no costs for education, these schools lead as an affordable example, which many schools should start to follow.

There is no clear information on how teachers or professors feel about this issue, but it is obvious that with free education, more teachers could be hired faster, given that in low income communities hiring teachers is a problem. Additionally, teachers are often paid low, and paying off student loans/debt brings financial burden to them.

Rather than just looking at statistics, free college would encourage more students to attend. Most students don’t think about college given their background, financial stance, and other underlying factors that prevent them from going. With this, students can then graduate and get better jobs with their degrees and help the community as a whole.

Many have argued that “free college ” would be too expensive and will leave the burden to the taxpayers. Despite the fact that free college sounds great, it would not be entirely free. College doesn’t come with the correct supplies needed and does require students to buy such things themselves. Those expenses would include pencils, pens, notebooks, laptops, tablets, and books. Books are usually $100 or more depending on the major or class. So, though the cost of college tuition would be depreciated to zero, supplies would still be expensive.

In summary, college should be free because of its lasting effects on not just students but society as a whole. Though staff have no clear stance, they would also benefit from this given the need of teachers in many communities. Congress should give “free college” a chance because it could benefit the nation economically by supplying youth with better jobs that can support the government and the world.