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Cody Walker
Professor Leah Huizer
UWRIT 1102
18 October 2016
The Cost of Free
A college degree is quickly becoming a requirement in many careers
that provide a comfortable salary. Employers find more than just specialized
education in prospective employees that have college degrees. Achieving a
degree also displays qualities such as dedication by committing roughly four
years to a specific task, the ability to succeed in high stress environments
and degree holders also demonstrated their skills by completing complex
projects within tight deadlines. All of these skills add a considerable amount
of value to people who earn a 4-year degrees. A college education shouldnt
be free because the value of the degree would diminish and the cost of
running educational institutions would be detrimental to the United States
economy. Overall, offering free college to everyone would be costlier to the
American population instead of being beneficial. Germany is well known for
their free college but the financial burden of free college is left to the
taxpayers. According to the Organization of Economic Co-operation and
Development (OECD) Germany has the second highest income tax burden of
all OECDs 34 countries. (Denhart,2014) There are those who claim that you

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dont need a degree to be successful, while this is true a degree will greatly
increase a persons chance to succeed.
Some people such as Bill Gates for example, have been unbelievably
successful at making money without a college degree. While being a
billionaire without a college is possible it isnt very likely. The pew research
center identified that college graduates between the ages of 25-32 make an
average of $17,500 more than those with only high school education.
$17,500 is close to the price of new compact sedan. This amount of money
could be the difference between living in poverty to living comfortably. Aside
from monetary value a degree provides there are other factors to consider
when talking about making college free. One of these major factors is that
the educational institutions are very expensive to run and this cost should
not have to be placed on the American people or the government.
Educational institutions require enormous amounts of money to
operate effectively and efficiently. Some would argue that educational
institutions dont need to have so many facilities to accommodate a college
students every need. The Harvard Graduate School of Education found that
student happiness has a direct positive correlation with students GPA.
Harvard also stated that Happiness is predicted by students satisfaction
with school culture and relationships with teachers and peers. This school
culture and social life is created by universities providing recreational
activities and facilities to students. These facilities are usually filled with
vendors that will generate additional income for the universities, essentially

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paying for the facilities overtime. In the University of Virginia their main
expense is the faculty. The University of Virginia posted on their website that
For the Academic Division, 60.5% of the total operating budget will be spent
on personal services, which includes the compensation including fringe
benefits of faculty, staff, wage employees, and graduate teaching and
research assistants. This is a crucial expense that would most likely have a
negative impact on the quality of education if this was decreased. The
Telegraph Media Group rated the United States number one in quality of
university education. This demonstrates that the high costs of tuition in the
United States could correlate with the quality of education received.
The National Center for Education Statistics reported that In academic
year 201314, postsecondary institutions in the United States spent
approximately $517 billion (in current dollars). Total expenses were nearly
$324 billion at public institutions, $173 billion at private nonprofit
institutions, and $21 billion at private for-profit institutions. This is an insane
amount of money. This would only increase if college was free for students.
More students would attend college; therefore, more faculty and staff would
be required to keep the same high quality of education. Who would pay for
the hundreds of billions of dollars that would be required to keep the
educational institutions running? This burden would ultimately be placed on
the United States government. The United States government already has a
full plate approaching nearly 20 trillion dollars in debt. The added expense of
free college would only assist in crippling the economy. The additional debt

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would then have to be covered by taxpayers only decreasing the amount of

take home pay, even for those who can barely make it with what they earn
already.
The National Education Association argues If college is essential for
building a career and being a full participant in our democracy as high school
once was, shouldn't it be free, paid for by public dollars, and treated as a
right of all members of our country? Besides the fact that public dollars are
currently around -20 trillion this question proves the value behind the
degree. College is much different than high school in many ways. Attending
high school is mandatory, a students parents can face legal actions if the
student does not attend. Attending a University requires determination and
self-motivation without any legal punitive actions. Not everyone is cut out for
the meticulous coursework and scheduling involved with attending a
university and free college would allow those not cut out for the university
lifestyle to waste financial resources. College is a choice that is available for
almost anyone to attend but it is not an entitlement.
The values of a degree can be much more beneficial to a person that
just proving that a person is educated. A high school diploma or equivalent is
a prerequisite for many entry level minimum wage jobs but a college degree
provides education for specialized careers that can lead to a more
comfortable living. Rasmussen College conducted a study that shows
students can gain a more open perspective on education and be more apt to
learn new things in the workplace and report more happiness in their career.

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College graduates also lean important like skills that make them an asset to
potential employers even if the degree doesnt directly apply to the career
field. The problem solving and time management skills that are required to
be successful in college directly apply to being successful in the workforce.
The University of Notre Dame found that college graduates experience a
healthier life as well as lower infant mortality rates. College students also
experience unique social situations which will make them more diverse and
adaptable throughout the rest of their life. With all the values of a college
degree it makes one think about the question the Civitas Institute asked If
college education has value why give it away? The Civitas Institute also
brought up a solid argument by asking Will our nation be better if we keep
generating college graduates who have difficulty finding gainful
employment? The last statement only reinforces the idea that free college
could have harmful financial effects on the American taxpayer.
In conclusion, graduates receive so much more than just an education
from college. The value of a college degree in the United States would
strongly diminish if college were made free. Not only would a degree lose
value but the cost of running a university would still need to be covered. This
cost would likely increase due to the even higher number of people that
would attempt to attend college. Some of these people may not be suited for
college may not be able to graduate. These people would still create a
financial burden that would have to be spread to the American people. Free

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college in America would not be beneficial to the students, the population or

the economy.

Works Cited
Denhart, Christopher. There Is No Such Thing As A Free College Education.
Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 3 Oct. 2014,
www.forbes.com/sites/ccap/2014/10/03/there-is-not-such-thing-as-afree-college-education/.
Education: The Rising Cost of Not Going to College | Pew ... Pew Social Trends,
Pew Research Center, 11 Feb. 2014,

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http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2014/02/11/the-rising-cost-of-not-going-tocollege/.
Fast Facts - National Center for Education Statistics. NCES, 2016,
https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=75.
ones, Victoria. Because Im Happy | Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Harvard Graduate School, Harvard Graduate School, 26 Mar. 2015,
https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/uk/15/03/because-im-happy.
Luebke, Bob. Why Free College Tuition Is a Bad Idea - Civitas Institute.
Nccivitas, Civitas Institute, 4 Feb. 2016,
https://www.nccivitas.org/2016/16909/.
Page, Max, and Dan Clawson. NEA - It's Time to Push for Free College. NEA,
NEA, http://www.nea.org/home/62740.htm.
Pfeffer, Jennifer. More Than a Degree: The Hidden Benefits of a College ...
Rasmussen College, Rasmussen College,
http://www.rasmussen.edu/student-life/blogs/college-life/hiddenbenefits-of-college-education/.
Questions and Answers, Financing the University 101, U.Va. University of
Virgina, University of Virgina,
http://www.virginia.edu/finance101/answers.html
Usgovernmentdebt.us - Debt Clock. Usgovernmentdebt,
Usgovernmentdebt, 2016, http://www.usgovernmentdebt.us/.

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Wozniak, Abigail. College Graduates Healthier Than Non-Grads, Study

Shows ... College of Arts and Letters, College of Arts and Letters, 23
July 2013, https://al.nd.edu/news/latest-news/41345-college-graduateshealthier-than-non-grads-study-shows/.

Grade Descriptions
A: Very Good: 90-100%: Earned by those who show sustained rigor in all
aspects of the assignment (process work, reflections, drafts, peer response,
final project) and impeccable MLA formatting. Produce work that stands out
in quality, content, and effort in core composing elements:

Articulated Issue/Tension/Problem
Demonstrated Exigency

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Targeted Intended Audience

Authentic and particular Purpose
Rhetorical Appeals (Logos, Ethos, Pathos)
Message - Introductory Rhetorical Tasks
Message - Body Paragraph Development
______________

MLA Formatting
Sources and Works Cited
Composing Process and Prerequisites
B: Good: 80-89%: Earned by those who show sustained rigor in most aspects
of the assignment (process work, reflections, drafts, peer response final
project) and consistently accurate MLA formatting and citations. Meets
requirements in quality, content, and effort in core composing elements (see
list above).

And/or, did not meet all prerequisites for final project: missing one or more of
the composing steps including Proposal, Research Review, Draft I or Draft II.
C: Satisfactory: 70-79%: Earned by those who show inconsistent rigor in
several aspects of the assignment (process work, reflections, drafts, peer
response final project) and uneven MLA formatting and citations. Meets
requirements, but does not stand out in quality, content, and effort in core
composing elements (see list above).

And/or, did not meet all prerequisites for final project: missing one or more of
the composing steps including Proposal, Research Review, Draft I or Draft II.
D: Passing: 60-69%: Earned by those who show inconsistent rigor in many
aspects of the assignment (process work, reflections, drafts, peer response
final project) and inadequate MLA formatting and citations. Meets few
requirements and lacks in quality, content, and effort in core composing
elements (see list above).

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And/or, did not meet all prerequisites for final project: missing one or more of
the composing steps including Proposal, Research Review, Draft I or Draft II.