Dear President:

Today more high school students have aspirations to attend college now more than ever, a recent poll suggests around 68.3 percent of high school graduates were enrolled in college. With so many students attempting to create the best future for themselves, college has become the key stepping stone to achieve their goals. The problem is that the skyrocketing costs of colleges are becoming a huge step back for these students. The high cost of tuition is rising much faster than the rate of inflation and provoking obstacles such as debt and other financial complications, as well as causing more and more students to dropout or transfer to community college or overall having a negative impact on the futures of the students. Something needs to be done soon in order to solve this oncoming issue because it is affecting so many lives and futures. I believe making the first two years of college free would be a reasonable solution that would make a tremendous difference to end the struggles that college students experience.

Over the last three decades the average cost of tuition has risen over 250% which has created an abundances of issues, one of which being debt. The plan to make the first two years of college free proposed, by President Obama, would solve this financial problem that college students face. According to a recent article about college affairs, editor Chris Pumphrey stated “42% of college grads live paycheck to paycheck” (Pumphrey). More and more students seek the current college loan system to help pay the high tuition costs, which leaves them paying off debt and struggling financially. In the same article it portrays “More than ¾ of students graduate with over $25,000 in debt” (Pumphrey). This displays the large majority of college students deal with debt and it shows the effect that the high college costs has on students. Last year a Newsela article that was adapted from the Tribune Chicago Bureau described Obama’s plan and stated “The plan would save an average college student over $3,800 in tuition per year” (Newsela Staff). This would benefit millions of college students and perhaps solve the financial struggle. Logically it would appeals to saving the money affairs of students and financially benefiting their debt and other struggles. This plan would be not only logical for saving the matter of debt but the federal funding for higher education would empower the middle class which is beneficial for the government and college students.

As a person who has aspirations and goals to attend a university I can relate to college students who are conflicted by high college costs and to those who end up having to drop out. Today more are seeing college as too costly of an investment and are looking to start a business or find a different future path. In editor Pumphrey’s article it says “36% of students who were very concerned about finances didn't apply to college while 90% of students who weren't concerned about finances applied” (Pumphrey). This shows just how big of an impact the cost of college has on people who strive to further their education. Another article John Schoen describes “Not only are tuition costs causing more dropouts, but even graduates are becoming so financially troubled that fewer young people are able to afford homes” (Schoen). This portrays that the soaring price of college has a monumental influence on the future of college students. The 2 year free college plan would not only create a better future for students but it would bring about a more positive and efficient work attitude for college students. Newsela states “The effect on students ambition would be another powerful benefit” (Newsela Staff). Emotionally this connects to students who feel stress over the money and high tuition costs of college and would benefit in their ambition and future from the first year two years of college being free. Tennessee uses a similar program and told that Obama’s proposal would appeal to republicans and democrats alike which would be beneficial to all of America and directly would help federal funding.

The downside of Obama’s plan to make the first two years of college free would be that funding would prove to be a difficult challenge. Newsela states “Anything involving more money to pay for things is going to be difficult in this congress” (Newsela Staff). Congress could look at this solution as too expensive but when you look at all the benefits it outweighs the overwhelming negative effects of high college costs. Although it could costs ten of billions of dollars, smaller programs have experienced this and embraced it as a real logical and emotional solution. As a president you know how many people are currently involved in this predicament and how many people have aspirations to attend college. When you look at how many people are affected by high college costs, making the first two years free would expand not only the futures of graduates and benefit them financially but expand the future of America and in time boost the middles class and economy due to increase of higher education. The investment for the plan is costly but so are the costs of colleges now and to create a better future for students and government, this plan is vital in creating a better and more effective society for the future.

Overall the high costs of college are becoming an increasingly serious issue for students, it is promptly producing higher dropout rates, more college students experiencing debt, and other financial troubles and negative effects on their futures. To best solve this problem it is needed that the first two years of college need to be made free to efficiently correct the damaging struggles that come with high college costs. With more and more people being affected by this issue, I hope you can do your best to make this solution take place and successfully change the higher education system that is taking its toll on America currently.

Works Cited

Pumphrey, Chris. "Infographic: The Side Effects of College Costs | Surviving College." Campus Riot. Chris Pumphrey, 14 Feb. 2014. Web. 02 Nov. 2016.

By. "President Proposes Two Years of Free College for Students." Newsela. Newsela Staff, 14 Apr. 2015. Web. 02 Nov. 2016.

Https://www.facebook.com/johnwschoen. "The Real Reasons a College Degree Costs so Much." CNBC. Getty Images, 16 June 2015. Web. 02 Nov. 2016.