Over 44 million Americans collectively hold nearly $1.5 trillion in student debt. That broken down leaves one in four American adults paying off over $30,000 worth of student loan debt on average. For students coming from low-income backgrounds, the idea of spending the money earned on something so expensive for so long seems unfathomable. The expense of college also stops students from reaching for the fields of education that they are passionate about but cannot afford the debt while they establish themselves in the real world. The long-term effects of college tuition are weighing down the youth in ways that are stopping American from reaching its full potential.
The idea of secondary education to a low-income student is overwhelming. Even as a high achieving low-income student there are a number of barriers between students attending college all due to their economic status. Starting at the application process, with many colleges having application fees can be a burden on a family. The idea of fee waivers is brought up, as many colleges do take into consideration the burden reports have shown there is a lack of knowledge in schools about the fee waiver process. Another reality for low-income students is finding a job able to pay enough for the student to continue their education. Of the 14 million working students about 6 million or 43 percent are low income. James Lamont explored the key findings of a Georgetown University study showing even low income working students with high academic performance are less likely than their higher income working peers to earn any type of credential. Low income working students were also more likely than the higher income working students to attend a two-year school or enroll in a certificate program (Lamont 1). Often times the demand for balancing part-time or full-time employment while pursuing postsecondary education can cause real challenges for low-income students who already have very limited financial means. The worst of the situation for low-income students is that the existing programs in order to help them save money on tuition cannot seem to cover it. The Education Trust has in act 15 existing programs and 16 proposed programs, however, when examined show they ultimately benefit middle- and upper-income students. Most all of the existing programs use what is known as a “last dollar model,” which means they cover what is left of a student’s tuition after all financial aid has been applied. However, those students are still left to shoulder the financial burden of books, food, and housing. Only a handful of state programs take into account the living expenses of a student. There is reform happening in a number of states, for example, Oklahoma and Louisiana provide aid dollars in excess of tuition to students directly, which can be used for living costs. Maryland even has a program to cover up to $18,600 of students' unmet needs (Camera 1). The verification process for Federal Student Aid even has become very taxing in recent years. With one in three aid applicants a year having to do additional chores regarding taxes and receipts. There has been a recent spike in the number of students selected for verification, even doubling despite colleges having the same number of aid applications as the year before. The Education Department’s Office of Federal Student Aid credits the increase to the big changes being made in the federal aid process. The department regularly adjusts the criteria based on recent application patterns. The verification process is not one commonly questioned due to its purpose to reduce fraud and improper payments as well as ensuring the right amounts of taxpayer money is in the hands of the right people (Hoover 1). However, the process can highly discourage individuals from even pursuing a degree.
The expense of tuition is not one that is easily justified when looking at fields with lower paying jobs. College is an investment of both time and money that can take years to establish yourself both financially and in an adult setting for the first time. The idea of free tuition could open many doors for students going to school for things like art and journalism to be able to freely seek employment without worry of not making enough to pay off student loans. After all, on average, it takes students 10 years to pay off their schooling and establish themselves in a business world. Young Americans are postponing marriages, having children and buying homes while paying off student loans even longer-term effects dealing with delayed retirement and social security benefits. The effects of student loans reach ages must past, even a prime time to get married and have children. 7.5 million Americans hold $261.9 billion dollars in student loan debt at age 50 and older (Botelho 1). The national average cost for tuition and fees is $9,142. A study done by Vanderbilt University and Pennsylvania State University Graduate School of Education found New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New Hampshire public, four-year tuition costs are highest when compared as a percent of the state’s average family income at 36 percent. The lowest they found to be was Rhode Island at 19 percent of the states' average family income and followed at 20 percent by California, Oklahoma, West Virginia and Florida (Kachmar 1). The idea of using over 30 percent of average family income in some states on the cost of tuition can be discouraging. Data, however, does also show that the average income without a doubt is significantly higher as students complete more schooling, yielding almost a 10% bump in income with each year of education.
A dramatic gap in wages existing between Americans with college degrees and those without them has formed. African American and Latino students enroll and graduate at
a considerably lower rate than their white and Asian counterparts. Strategies to solve these statistics lie around the idea of free college. But if free college really cannot be free then who is left to foot the bill? The short answer is taxpayers, which is a hard sell on most Americans, specifically the upper class. In 2003 Alabama Governor Bill Riley proposed a plan to tax the wealthiest residents and corporations in order to offer free college to students performing well in the state’s high schools. The plan would have raised taxes by $1.2 billion which would have amounted to the largest tax increase in Alabama’s state history. Voters, however, going out to the polls rejected the tax increase 67 percent to 33 percent (Potter & Schmidt 1). This seems to be the biggest hurdle for tuition-free college advocates. Other Governors have had similar proposals like Governor Gina Raimondo from Rhode Island proposed the idea of giving state residents two years of tuition-free schooling at Rhode Islands public colleges. This would leave students going for a four-year degree with junior and senior year tuition fees. However, community colleges nationwide have a dim track record with fewer than 20 percent of students finishing their programs within six years.
The idea of removing financial responsibility from college students is one of the most largely discussed issues taken with the idea of tuition-free college. Shifting the expense of college from students to taxpayers is a hard pill to swallow when there are taxpayers seeing the idea of free college as a band-aid over a serious problem. Some adults having gone through student loan debt also say it helped them learn how to manage finances better and ultimately helped their future when it came down to buying a house or vehicle. There are also concerns with the deterioration in the quality of education. Until the late 1990s, England’s population enjoyed a period of tuition-free college. The English college system, however, noticed the setup caused a decline in quality of education as well as socioeconomic inequality to rise. Slowly the college system in England began requiring students to pay for more of their costs requiring students to pay back loans. Colleges beginning to charge for education again deterred some students from seeking secondary education, however, over the last twenty years, the quality of education rose due to colleges being able to rely on more than taxpayers. As well as enrollment gaps between low and high-income students narrowed. Due to the tuition fund universities were able to educate more students and in 2015 the English government was able to abolish all caps on enrollment of domestic students (Holmquist 1). Some Americans believe a solution to low enrollment and graduation rates to be a better high school system. The idea is if students feel more equipped to enroll and graduate from college the degree will be worth the financial setbacks. Though this doesn’t solve issues surrounding student debt, there is also always the tedious process of getting financial aid through grants, scholarships, and the government to help lessen the financial burdens