Con : It Offers No Way To Control What People Study
Some opponents of free college argue that the government shouldnt be subsidizing peoples degrees in majors that arent likely to lead to a good job. They might be okay with subsidizing STEM degrees but not, say, theater degrees. These critics would prefer a more targeted program that would give students fewer choices.
Leading The Way To College Affordability
We’ve made college tuition-free for middle class New Yorkers.
With the passage of the FY 2018 State Budget, New York is now home to the nation’s first accessible college program – The Excelsior Scholarship.
Under this groundbreaking program, more than 940,000 middle-class families and individuals making up to $125,000 per year will qualify to attend college tuition-free at all CUNY and SUNY two- and four-year colleges in New York State. The new program begins in the fall of 2017 and will be phased in over three years.
In order to apply, students must:
– Be residents of New York State- Plan to attend SUNY or CUNY two- or four-year college- Complete 30 credits per year towards their program of study – Plan to live and work in New York following graduation for the length of time they participate in the scholarship program
What’s The Best Way Forward For Students Right Now
Like other students, you might have a lot of options available to you. But the longer you wait to begin your post-secondary education, the more opportunities you may be missing out on. So even though “Should college be free?” is a question worth debating, the best action to take right now is probably to investigate the many helpful possibilities that already exist.
Why not check out some of the career-driven programs in your area just to see how you might benefit from them? Generate a list of nearby schools right now by putting your zip code into the following search tool!
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Are There Better Alternatives
Maybe some kind of middle ground exists. Maybe making public colleges free for everyone isn’t the best way to solve the affordability problem. At least, that’s what some people believe. They point out that other options have been shown to work well and that those options might be a lot less expensive for American taxpayers.
For example, consider the possibility of an income-based repayment system. For some former college students in the U.S., that is already a reality. They are able to have the repayment of their student loans tied to a small percentage of their incomes. And if they earn below a certain threshold, then they don’t have to make any payments. After 20 to 25 years, whatever is left on their loans is written off, as long as they have consistently kept up with all of the payments that were due. The problem, currently, is that this option is only available to low-income people who can prove that they are experiencing financial hardship.
But what if loans with income-based repayment were available to every student? You would be able to attend college, university, or trade school without having to pay for tuition while enrolled. Then, after you left school, you would only have to pay an affordable percentage of what you earned . The more money you earned, the quicker you would pay off the loan. And if your income stayed low, you would have the peace of mind of knowing that your loan obligations would eventually expire.
Us Coast Guard Academy
The New London, Connecticut-based CGA trains students for service in the Coast Guard. This branch of the military is the oldest life-saving force in the world, but maritime safety is only part of its job. It also helps manage sea traffic and commerce, protect natural resources, and defend the countrys shores.
The 900 or so cadets at CGA all receive free tuition, room, and board. In exchange, they must serve at least five years after graduation, usually on board a ship. Students prepare for this by spending the summer after their third year working aboard a Coast Guard cutter ship.
Admission is limited, with only 18% of students who apply being accepted. However, unlike the other service academies, CGA does not require a congressional nomination to apply. Roughly 84% of all students will eventually go on to graduate.
U.S. News rates CGA at #2 out of 62 regional colleges in the North. The student-faculty ratio is 8:1, and more than three out of four classes have 20 students or fewer. CGA offers majors in engineering, humanities, management, mathematics and science. It also offers several unique courses through its Strategic Intelligence Studies department, such as Intelligence and National Security Policy.
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Lake Region State College
Devils Lake, North Dakota
Lake Region State College offers free online college degrees for students of all kinds, whether they are pursuing a transfer degree to continue their education at a four-year institution or completing an associate of applied science to prepare them directly for the workforce after their studies at Lake Region. Featured online programs include associate in arts, associate in science, business administration, early childhood education, law enforcement, speech pathology, and more. Lake Region provides free classes to many of its students via federal financial aid Pell grants, which do not have to be paid back. The funds may be applied to tuition, books, and living expenses.
Pro : Students Would Be Free To Follow Their Passions And Abilities
Because the current college education system leaves many students with high amounts of debt, students choices are constrained. They may choose a major they dont really love simply because it promises a higher future salary. They might go to a college thats not the best one they could get in to because its cheaper. They might take fewer risks later in life because of their debt. High levels of debt discourage people from starting businesses, moving to another city in search of better job opportunities or changing jobs. If you eliminate student loan debt you eliminate these problems, with benefits for students and for the overall economy.
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What If Im Currently In High School And Havent Finished My Diploma/ged
OnlineDegree.com is only available to adults age 18 and over whove completed their high school diploma or GED equivalent. Our courses are designed to be college-level, and universities will require you to have completed your diploma or GED equivalent before you can enroll to their schools. Its fantastic that youre thinking about college, and well be here when youre finished with high school.
Caveats And Concluding Thoughts
We cannot make policy from evidence alone, but it can and should play a key role. Sometimes, policy ideas have such limited evidence of effectiveness that it is difficult to make any plausible case for a large-scale, national program. In other cases, there is enough promise for pilot studies and competitive grants to establish efficacy. With free college, we seem to be well beyond that point. In addition to decades of results on general financial aid programs, we have a growing number of studies on state and local programs that all show positive evidencethe laboratory of democracy at work. The idea of a large, federal free-college program therefore has more and more credibility.
A decade ago, it was not at all obvious that this is what the evidence would show. There was really no evidence on free college programs when we started this project back in 2009. Also, there were good reasons to expect that such a large increase in aid would suffer from diminishing returnsthe idea that the next dollar is less effective than the previous one. This could have made free college more costly than the benefits could justify. Now, we know better.
Still, it is not often that an idea comes around that addresses a widely acknowledged problem and has both research support and a fair degree of bipartisan political support. The stars seem aligned to make some form of national free college a reality. The more evidence we see, the more that would seem to be a step forward.
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Why Should College Be Free For Everyone
Proponents of free college believe that it would benefit the entire nation, not just the individual students who take advantage of it. They see it as both a private and public benefit. After all, more and more of today’s jobs are knowledge-based or require advanced technical skills. So a better-educated workforce would help fill many of the skills gaps that prevent America’s economy from growing faster.
Plus, since more people would be able to attain employer-desired credentials, more people would be able to take the good-paying jobs that often go unfilled. And that could result in billions of additional dollars circulating throughout the economy since people tend to spend more money when they have higher incomes and little or no debt. It could also mean that the government would take in a lot of extra tax revenues, which could go a long way toward paying for free public colleges.
But the issue of why college should be free isn’t just an economic one. It’s also a moral and philosophical one. Do we want every American, regardless of social standing, to have an equal opportunity to reach his or her potential? That’s what this country is supposed to be about, yet social mobility has been eroding for the poor and middle class. And without easy and affordable access to quality higher education for everyone, the collective intelligence and goodwill of the nation could also erode. America might become even more socially divided.
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How Much College May Cost You
The cost of college depends largely on the school you choose to attend. Theres a big difference between the cost of a local community college, for instance, and a state school or a private school.
According to the College Board, the average tuition and fees in the 2020-21 school year was $37,650 at private nonprofit four-year colleges, $10,560 at in-state public four-year colleges and $27,020 at out-of-state public four-year colleges. The average tuition and fees for a public two-year college, meanwhile, was $3,770.
Georgia Free College Courses For Seniors
If youre 62 or older and live in the state of Georgia, lifes a peach! The University System of Georgia allows you to take classes for credit or audit courses at a public college for free. While you may need to pay for labs, supplies, and others, you can attend an array of schools tuition-free. You can even use the waiver for a graduate-level course, but not for veterinary, dental, medical, or law schools. Arguably, Georgia is one of the top states for offering free college courses for seniors.
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Northwest Mississippi Community College
Senatobia, Mississippi
At Northwest Mississippi Community College, ninety-one percent of students attending receive some type of financial aid. Anyone receiving aid, whether in the form of grants, loans, scholarships, or work-study must complete a FAFSA. To help offset tuition and other costs associated with earning a degree at Northwest Mississippi, the school awards institutional grants and scholarships that do not need to be paid back. Academic, athletic, and need-based grants are available. Also, for qualifying students, federal grants and state grants are offered. The federal work-study program provides on-campus jobs for students with financial need, but may not accommodate all online degree seeking students.
Do Senior Citizens Get Free College Tuition
According FinAid.org, as of July 2018, the following states/districts had some sort of free tuition for seniors:
- Alaska
- Washington DC
- However, this is not a comprehensive list, missing out some states including at least California.
In fact, senior citizens have options for either or both of tuition-free courses or degrees in all 50 states. Usually, the programs apply to people 60+, but in some cases it applies to 55+ or 62+ individuals. However, not all such programs lead to college credits/ degrees, only audited courses. The downside in some cases is that seniors must wait until regular students have finished registering for courses, so there may not always be open seats.
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Laramie County Community College
Cheyenne, Wyoming
Laramie County Community College is accredited by the North Central Association Higher Learning Commission to confer free online degrees to students who qualify for the requisite aid and complete all courses and degree requirements in a satisfactory manner. The institution has several online degree programs, such as accounting, business, computer information systems, cybersecurity, elementary education, psychology, and much more. Many Laramie students qualify for full financial aid funding, which covers tuition, books, and fees. Additionally, students can apply for several scholarships such as City of Laramie tuition waiver, GEAR Up, LCCC need grant, LCCC department grant, LCCC soaring eagle grant, and dozens more.
North Hennepin Community College
Brooklyn Park, Minnesota
At North Hennepin Community College, students may earn a degree online for little to no cost. In fact, thanks to NHCCs financial aid awards and scholarships, students may earn a free online degree. Online degree offerings include AA, AS, or AAS degrees in accounting, business computer systems and management, computer science, finance management, marketing, and more. Online certificates may also be earned in areas like accounting, business, computer information systems, and computer science. Types of financial aid programs available at North Hennepin include both state and federal grants and work-study. While need-based, Pell grants may offset the cost of tuition and allow students to earn their degree at North Hennepin free of charge.
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The Pros And Cons Of Free College
During the 2016 primary season we heard a lot about the issue of free college. Should every American be able to get a bachelors degree at no cost? What are the pros and cons of free college? If you have student debt yourself or you have kids who plan to go to college, you probably have strong feelings one way or another.
Check out our student loan calculator.
2016 was a big year for the subject of free college. President Obama introduced a plan to make community college free, and presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders wanted to make public university tuition free for all. Not sure what the arguments for and against free college are? Weve got you covered.
Countries With Free College 2021
Anyone who lives in the United States and other areas with college tuition costs knows just how expensive attending a higher education institute can be. A student can spend tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars to attend college, offset with grants and scholarships. However, many of these students have to take on student loans, paying hundreds of dollars each month over a long period of time to fund their education.
However, there are countries where there is no cost for attending college. Many of these countries are democratic socialist states. Residents of these nations can receive their education for free along with other essential services provided by the government, such as health care. Residents from the United States and other countries with high college tuition costs study abroad to take advantage of these opportunities.
These countries offer free tuition to its own residents, but several countries offer free tuition to international students. In many cases, college courses are available for free, but they are taught only in the countrys native language. All nations that offer free college to international students are:
- Brazil: Classes are taught in Portuguese
- Czech Republic: Classes taught in the Czech language are free
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Con : It Could Flood The Market And Lead To Credential Creep
Some critics of the free college idea argue that it would lead to a flood of graduates with mediocre credentials all competing for a limited number of jobs. Then, these critics argue, committed workers would have to pursue some kind of graduate degree to stand out from the crowd. This would cost money, as well as leading to credential creep.
The Best Online Schools Offering Free Tuition
Typically speaking, the better the school you attend, the larger their endowment. School endowments are raised by alumni who do well and love their alma mater. They are also raised by colleges and universities that perform well at a specific activity or academic topic. Schools that are great at sports, or that have great academic programming typically have larger endowments.
So what does this have to do with tuition costs? Well, many of the colleges and universities with the largest endowments have made commitments to use some portion of that money to offset undue costs of education for their students.
There are typically three groups of schools that offer a free education.
- Colleges and Universities that will meet 100% of demonstrated financial need without student loans
- Colleges and Universities that will meet 100% of demonstrated financial need with student loans
- Colleges and Universities that will meet 100% the cost of tuition, room and board, and so forth for all students due to a special mission or due to being work colleges
You may notice that two of these categories which are the most common arrangements rely on applicants demonstrating financial need. So how does this work?
All regionally accredited colleges and universities provide the option for students to fill out a Federal Application for Student Aid . This application takes a look at you earnings in relation to the cost of the school youre attending.
- Amherst College
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