It has been about a month since President Obama’s State of the Union Address, and it in, he proposed numerous ideas. One that stuck with me as a college student was the idea of free education for students. In his speech, he said:

 To make sure folks keep earning higher wages down the road, we have to do more to help Americans upgrade their skills. America thrived in the 20th century because we made high school free, sent a generation of GIs to college, and trained the best workforce in the world. But in a 21st century economy that rewards knowledge like never before, we need to do more. By the end of this decade, two in three job openings will require some higher education. And yet, we still live in a country where too many bright, striving Americans are priced out of the education they need. It’s not fair to them, and it’s not smart for our future. That’s why I am sending this Congress a bold new plan to lower the cost of community college to zero… Whoever you are, this plan is your chance to graduate ready for the new economy, without a load of debt. Understand, you’ve got to earn it. You’ve got to keep your grades up and graduate on time… I want to spread this idea all across America, so that two years of college becomes as free and universal in America as high school is today.

There are several details to his plan for free community college, which has been named America’s College Promise. Students who are enrolled at least half time, maintain a GPA of 2.5 or higher, and are making progress toward graduating on time or intend to transfer to a four-year institution for a bachelors degree are eligible to have tuition costs waived at any two-year community college. Obama stated that 40% of college students attend community college, and he wants every person that wants to receive higher education to be able to afford it. The White House estimates that 9 million students would be able to benefit from this per year, and each student would save around $3,800 annually at any of the 1,100 community colleges available across the nation. The administration also estimates that this plan will cost about $60 billion over ten years.

Many people were excited when Obama announced his plan for free college education. Who wouldn’t support free higher education, especially considering the alarming amount of students with enormous debt and the increasing necessity for a degree? Students whose families cannot afford college are likely receiving the financial aid they need to attend school. However, there is still a large middle class that is not readily able to afford college but do not qualify for the necessary amount of financial aid. This also is a way to provide an inexpensive foundation if students wanted to continue their education after community college and earn a bachelors degree. The GPA requirement also encourages students to work hard and keep graduation or futher education a constant goal. For example, I am only able to attend Penn State because of scholarships and financial aid. Knowing that they are contingent upon maintaining a certain GPA pushes me to work hard because I know that my ability to attend this school is at stake. For other students in a similar situation, the requirements could help keep them stay focused. Overall, this plan is estimated to help 9 million students per year, and they may be students that otherwise could or would not have gone to college at all. This would encourage more high school students to prepare for college, knowing that money will not necessarily hold them back from attending for at least two years. This also means that free college education would allow more of our population to receive higher education, which would lead to a more educated workforce, which could in turn improve the economy as well.

However, this topic has been heavily debated since it has come to fruition. Many people feel that this may not be an effective approach. The actual price of a college education includes more than just tuition. There are still book, food, and housing costs even if tuition is paid for, so it is not entirely free, not to mention the opportunity cost of not being able to join the workforce full-time. Others argue that the price of tuition for community college is inexpensive enough that a student could be able to pay the majority of it with a part-time job. People may also believe that college is a decision that should be made by the individual student. College is not the path for everyone, but with America’s College Promise, it may make students feel like college has to be the next step. Another argument is that for students who want to go to a community college for free and then transfer to a four-year university may find that many of their credits do not transfer, which would make the previous two years almost useless. Others are also worried that it will trivialize the value of a college education. A high school education is currently the standard, and it is difficult to find a good job without a high school diploma. Free college education could make a college degree the new standard. With these concerns, people hesitate to support such a costly program. $60 billion over the span of 10 years will surely add to our deficit, and many are opposed to that idea. As a compromise, people may support improved financial aid for students instead, which could partially or fully help students with need pay for college and would be a less costly program.

Overall, the idea of free college education has begun to gain attention. There is debate over whether or not it will be a beneficial program and if there is perhaps a better alternative. Regardless, we will see in the next few years if this plan ever gets passed either as is or with adjustments or if it doesn’t get passed at all.