November 2, 2016

Dear Next President,

College tuition has risen to an unaffordable amount for some middle class citizens. Not everyone can pay for their kids, or their own college tuition, because of the rising prices. This prevents young people from getting a proper education because of something that could be avoided. According to CNBC “With the total level of student debt outstanding at more than $1.2 trillion, parents, students and researchers are now asking: how is this sustainable? And why does college cost so much?”(Schoen) From this large amount of debt people have to start paying right away, taking them multiple years to pay it off. I believe the cost of college should be lowered to an affordable degree, so people from all backgrounds can get a good education. The price of college is only going to rise if there isn't any action being taken.

A large amount of people are forced into desperate measures. An article from tuition talk, states “Thirty-six percent of college students start their own businesses as opposed to attending college, and 21% start a business due to unemployment.” (Pumphrey) this shows how desperate some people are and how they are willing to try something without any experience at all instead of going to college, based solely on the fact that college tuition is too high. Some countries, such as Denmark, have free college tuition available to all. From personal experience, I am aware that if I had stayed living in Denmark I could have accessed free college education including a small student salary! Overall, affordable education means that the colleges attract more people from various backgrounds, overall resulting in a more educated population which does not discriminate against less privileged students. Not only are students affected financially for many years after graduating college, they are affected right away. Because of all the debt students or parents are in, they have to start paying immediately. Many problems are caused from this; people would rather not go to college in order to avoid debt. This means that students with talent can miss out on developing their potential, because they cannot afford the financial burden.

Most people don't believe college can be free, and I agree. However I do believe the fees should be lowered. According to Newsela, President Obama intends to make the first two years of community college free. They state “Obama's plan, inspired by new programs in Tennessee and Chicago, could benefit up to 9 million students”(Newsela) This would hugely benefit not only young people, but the whole country by establishing a more educated generation. However this will come with an expense. Newsela states “Experts said it could cost the federal government tens of billions of dollars.”(Newsela ) Clearly college can’t be free, however the individual financial burden can be reduced. This in turn will benefit the country and the economy, through a more educated workforce.

College tuition shouldn’t be free, however it should be more affordable. If this problem could be solved more people would attend college, and less people would end up being without employment, in dire financial problems or even homeless. I believe people should be encouraged to attend college instead of avoiding it, Ultimately everyone would benefit and the United States could feel proud of its educational programs and equal opportunities for everyone.