College is often painted as the ultimate stepping stone: a place where you can discover your passions, make lifelong friends and unlock a world of opportunities. It’s a time of personal growth, late-night conversations and working towards a brighter future.
There’s just one problem — not everybody can afford it.
The promises of higher education are seemingly out of reach for millions of American students who can’t pay the bill. Meanwhile, millions of others who choose to rely on student loans are later crushed by their accumulated debt.
Due to this long-standing crisis, the notion of making higher education free has been a recurring topic of debate over the years.
But while it’s easy to understand the rationale behind “free college” advocates — after all, no sane person would argue against making education more accessible — it’s important to recognize the drawbacks of this approach.
The most immediate concern with free college is the cost. Making higher education free doesn’t eliminate the bill. Rather, the financial burden is shifted to the government and, by extension, taxpayers, many of whom may not benefit from the program themselves.
Not to mention, such a large financial commitment would place even more strain on a national budget already $36.2 trillion in debt. The reality is that this proposal just isn’t financially feasible.
Another significant consequence of making college free for everyone is the possible devaluation of a college degree. A college degree currently represents a level of education and prestige, but its value inherently comes from the fact that not everybody has one.
By making higher education free, we run the risk of flooding the job market with similarly qualified graduates. This dilutes competition and makes it harder for any one applicant to stand out.
In this case, the promise that a degree will lead to better job opportunities fades as it becomes an increasingly standard presence on resumes and job applications.
The notion of free higher education also follows the faulty assumption that college is necessary for everyone. While college has admittedly become the standard postsecondary path, vocational training or trade schools can be similarly, if not more effective, alternatives for many students.
Fields like plumbing, electrical work and carpentry offer stable and well-paying careers that are too often overlooked in discussions about higher education. Our society tends to tunnel vision on college, and funneling government resources and taxpayer dollars into making it free won’t help the issue.
In making college the most accessible postsecondary path, we risk pushing more students into a system that may not align with their strengths or interests. Instead of heightening pressures to pursue a college education, we should encourage a wider array of careers, including skilled trades that are incredibly valuable to society.
Supporters of free college often point to countries like Germany, Finland and Sweden, where higher education is largely free or low-cost for citizens. These nations have seen great success in implementing free education, and their economies show no signs of giving out.
However, using these countries to argue that the same success could be replicated in the United States overlooks a few critical details. These countries have much smaller populations and operate under different economic structures. Social safety programs not present in our own government help distribute the costs across various sectors, making it easier to finance free education.
Germany’s focus on vocational education, for instance, combined with its efficient taxation system, helps absorb the costs of higher education while keeping taxes at reasonable levels. In contrast, the US has a far larger, more diverse population and a wholly different fiscal landscape.
Evidently, while free higher education programs might work in other countries, expecting an equally effective implementation into the American education system isn’t realistic.
More sustainable solutions may lie in income-driven repayment plans for student loans or offering tax credits for education-related expenses. These approaches provide meaningful aid to financial barriers many students face without placing an enormous burden on the government and taxpayers.
While the push for free college is driven by good intentions, it overlooks the complexity of the issue and its long-term consequences.
Instead of focusing on a costly, one-size-fits-all proposal, we should aim to develop aid systems that meet students’ needs without sacrificing quality or sustainability.
