Free Community College in the United States of America
Introduction
College prices today are wildly expensive. The average tuition price for an in state student going to a four year state college is about $9,410, an out of state student has an average of $23,890 due, and for a four year private school on average a student could be expected to pay $32,410 (college board). These students are most often fresh out of high school with very little real world experience and suddenly they are expected to make life changing decisions that will cost them thousands of dollars. The prices above do not even include necessities like room and board, meal plans, and inevitable expenses like extra food, entertainment, and clothes. These costs have risen insurmountably from 1997 the average tuition and fees for a private school increased 157%, the average out of state tuition and fees at a public school increased 194%, and finally the largest jump is in state tuition a a public four year university at an enormous 237% (Briana Boyington. “See 20 Years of Tuition Growth at National Universities”, (U.S. News & World Report L.P), 4). According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics the total consumer price index inflation increased by 52.7% from 1997-2017(Boyington, See 20 Years, 4.). This means that the rate of inflation has risen much higher for college tuition than the average student. So clearly there is a problem with the current cost of tuition. A solution to help ease the cost for these young students is to make tuition at community colleges free.
The Problem
The differences between those that have degrees from higher education and those with only a high school diploma are everywhere. As of 2015 college graduates have on average earned 56% more than those without any post high school education (4). The differences in education also affect things such as employment. For example after the great recession in 2008, the percentage of college graduates in the workforce has risen 21% where as the percentage of people with only their high school education in the workforce actually declined about 8% (4). This statistic would help account for the fact that recently there has been a higher percentage of college graduates in the workforce than high school graduates. Statistically those that have just graduated from highschool face other problems too. For example they are less likely than college graduates to be homeowners. Also college graduates are more likely to contribute to a 401k retirement plan than high school graduates (4). This goes to show that a college degree is less optional than it appears and rather than individual choice it has become an intrinsic part of being a productive member of society. Due to the immense amount of evidence it is hard to ignore the fact that higher education is becoming less and less of an individual’s choice and much more of a requirement if the individual wants to succeed and remain competitive in today’s workforce.
Proposed Solution
President Obama proposed the idea to make the first two years tuition for community colleges free nationwide in 2015 (2). In this plan students would have to maintain a 2.5 grade point average, go to school at least part time, and maintain progress in completing their goal (3). President Obama’s plan also had requirements for the community colleges themselves. First they would have to offer programs in which the credits would transfer over to a four year university, or they could have occupational training programs that maintained high graduation rates and would lead to degrees and certificates are valued in the workforce (3). As for funding President Obama’s plan stated that the federal government would cover a majority of the costs at 75% and the state governments could fund the remaining 25% for the eligible students (3).
Evidence of the Solutions Success
Although President Obama’s plan to make the first two years of community college free has not been passed nationwide, variations of it have been implemented in several places around the United States. For example, in Chicago 2015 a program called the Star Scholarship was implemented (5). Under this program students that went to public school that graduated with a B average and demonstrated that they could keep up with college level coursework were rewarded a free ride in community college as well as free textbooks (5). Since this program began about 1,000 students a year, or in other words 5 percent of each of Chicago’s public schools graduating classes have claimed this scholarship to attend their local community colleges. As of 2017, the first class that was awarded this scholarship has two thirds of students either already graduated or right on track to graduate with an associates degree or with a certification for one of many fields (5). Another way in which the Star Scholarship program has proven to be successful is the percentage of students that have graduated in two years with this scholarship is the same as the national average of students in community colleges that graduated in three years (5). Also the retention rate after the first year for these students in Chicago were twice the national average at an impressive 88 percent. Through the Star Scholarship program students could pursue their American Dream and receive a higher education without the added stress of lifelong debt.
A similar program has been placed in Tennessee, but it is statewide rather than just citywide. This program is titled the Tennessee Promise and encourages students to pursue a higher education by either going to community college to work for an associates degree or complete a certificate program or attend a College of Applied Technology. After the creation of this program the percentage of college enrollment has increased from 57. 9 percent to 62.5 percent in just one year. While this may not seem that significant of an increase, it was a larger increase of college enrollments that all seven years before this program combined (6). The scholarship will only cover the costs remaining once any rewards from the FAFSA or outside scholarships are used and they will be paired with a mentor to help guide them through their post high school education (6). Also in order for the student to be eligible for this scholarship they must enroll in a community college or College of Applied Technology the fall semester immediately following their high school graduation. The student must attend all mandatory meetings and maintain a 2.0 grade point average in a community college or maintain satisfactory progress in a College of Applied Technology throughout their college career (6). Also the student must complete 8 hours of community service with a participating organization in order to help give back to the community (6). This scholarship will cover the student’s tuition either until they complete their respective goals or they have reached five semesters worth of coverage (6). The first few years since the installation of this program have shown growth in Tennessee’s college allowing for a wider variety of students to pursue a better life.
Potential Issues With this Plan
Free college for students seems almost too idealistic, so the common question is about whether or not it is even feasible. The cost of free community college would be a large undertaking especially considering the amount of students across the United States that would be able to meet any requirements created for a scholarship. However even though community college is fairly reasonably priced now many graduates continue to go to other institutions, so it is likely that the students that would be taking this scholarship would be students that were initially on the fence about going to college. Also as a nation the United States is very set in its values such as social darwinism where people see the workforce as simply “survival of the fittest”, so in the United States people might be against creating this policy since they believe that success is based on individual merit. Although this is a common ideology in the United States there are undeniable benefits to the entire community if there are more college graduates. For example communities that have many citizens with higher education have lower crime rates, higher rates of civic involvement, and fewer people with a dependency on government welfare (7). Another argument against this solution is that by making community college free it would devalue a college education and force people to pursue even higher degrees, however, this is already occurring with the saturation of college graduates in the workforce. So by creating free community college it would catch the people that have fallen through the cracks that simply can’t afford college and prevent an enormous gap between those that have earned more money because of their degree and those with much lower paying jobs not because they were not smart, but because they were not financially equipped to handle the student debt.
Conclusion
Free community college has been proven on state and local level to have positive effects on the community and its students. In today’s society college is becoming increasingly necessary for students and with the extreme prices of universities people are being denied a higher education simply because of their financial situation. Higher education has been proven to not only help the individual, but the community as well, so if this policy is implemented then the entire country could reap the benefits. With all of the evidence compiled initiating free community college is a positive solution to college prices being so high.
2-http://money.cnn.com/2017/05/16/pf/college/states-tuition-free-college/index.html
4-https://www.cbsnews.com/news/workers-with-no-college-degree-fall-further-behind-than-ever/
5- https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/19/opinion/free-community-college-chicago.html
6-https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/thec/bureau/research/promise/2017_TN_Promise_Report.pdf
7- https://www.elc-pa.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/BestInvestment_Full_Report_6.27.11.pdf
8- https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/pay-for-college/college-costs/college-costs-faqs
Infographic 1-https://www.pinterest.com/pin/129830401730574230/