As we already know, college is quite expensive. Students or their parents have to pay for tuition, transportation, housing, food, books, and supplies costs. Each of these fees adds up very rapidly.

To solve this problem, college tuition should be free since making college free will decrease student debt, better our economy and society and make college more available.

First, college tuition should be free since it will decrease student debt. According to Federal Reserve data, student debt in the United States reached 1.73 trillion dollars in 2021. That averages to about $37,062 of debt per student. If college tuition was free, then there wouldn’t be near as many student loans; therefore, there wouldn’t be as much debt. Student loan debt has risen 130% since 2008, and it will continue to increase as time goes on. Having so much debt after graduating can lead to a lot of stress and it may hinder the success of that person’s future.

Furthermore, the economy and society as a whole have benefited from tuition-free college before. In 1974, almost half of all college students were military veterans because President Roosevelt signed the GI Bill. The GI Bill gave military members, veterans, and their dependents tuition-free college. The GI Bill permitted 2.2 million veterans to earn a college education, and this not only helped them, but it also helped the economy and our society. Once the inheritors received their free tuition, they went on to buy things and get good jobs after they graduated. Then, they helped society with their increased levels of education, charity, volunteering, and voting.

Finally, college should be free is that a college education needs to be more available. Technology in America is continuing to innovate, so jobs are becoming more difficult and they require more skilled workers. Without free tuition, fewer and fewer people will be able to receive a college education because they won’t be able to afford it. Colleges will have to increase their education levels and that will increase the cost of attending college because the professors will need to be paid more for their higher level of knowledge. With free tuition, people can go to college, and they will be able to be hired for more difficult jobs.

College shouldn’t be perceived as a luxury, but it should instead be seen as a need. Making college tuition-free will make it affordable and available to everyone.