﻿In this video we’re going to ask the controversial question
of whether College, also known as university in european countries,
should be free. To organize this video, I’m
going to use the same 3 criteria I’ve used in my previous video about universal healthcare,
which you can watch by clicking on the link in the description.
The criteria will test free college based on its universality,
which concerns how much of the population would have access to it,
price, which is
where the money would actually come from,
and finally there is the criteria of quality-
Would free college make the degrees better, or worse,
or would it not have a difference? So that’s the criteria, but before we begin,
why don’t you like this video and subscribe to my channel for more great content.
The first criteria that we’re going to test free college by is its universality.
Free college would be by definition universal, because it would be free
and thus anybody could access it. This might lead to more students from low
income families entering higher education and graduating,
which would improve social mobility. With a more educated workforce,
workers may be better able to respond to economic changes with revolutionary new
products, or better business practices, which would be good for economic growth.
Those against free college use the example of the US to argue that the current system of
college paid for by tuition can still be near enough universal.
The US has some of the highest college fees in the world
but also the highest rates of college enrolment,.
There is also the question of whether free college would actually help poor families,
if rich people continued to be the ones disproportionately going to college, they would
be the ones saving money, not poor families. Now we’re going to talk about price.
If college was free, students would arguably be free of
crippling loans needed to pay for college, which in the US average $30,000 per student.
Free from this debt, graduates would be able to buy cars
and get on the housing ladder, improving their employability.
There is also the argument that colleges are already getting tax breaks or subsidies
for political reasons, and it would be far simpler to just make tuition free.
Those against free college have a core argument when it comes to price
which is that there isn’t really any such thing as ‘free’ college.
If students aren’t footing the bill then the money has to come from tax hikes,
on people who are working and who have often have not gone to college.
Or there is the option of a graduate tax style system,
which is where students pay higher tax than everybody else once they graduate.
But this is problematic because it is founded on the idea that all graduates will earn more
when they graduate than those who haven’t gone to college, because they tend to end up in white
collar jobs but this isn’t always true. Those against free college also argue that
students will still have to pay for essentials whilst studying like food and accommodation,
and if that was made free, taxes would have to go even higher.
Opponents also argue that having to pay off loans teaches students good financial skills,
which puts them in good stead for not defaulting off payments on cars and mortgages.
The final criteria we’re going to test free college by is the quality
of the service provided. Those in favour of free college
argue that it would cause students to go for subjects that interest them more,
as opposed to ones that they can pay off more easily or are more vocational.
This wouldn’t necessarily result in better quality degrees, but it would possibly make students take
more care in their degrees and try harder. As well as this, if only a few colleges went free
they could compete with private colleges which might provide better quality degrees overall
because competing colleges would have to raise their standards to get more students.
Those against free college argue that it would lead to students being lazy and not
taking their degree seriously, because they would not be paying for it.
This may then lead to lower quality degrees and a less educated workforce in the long run.
Opponents also problematize free college as promoting the notion that the only way to get
the best jobs is through getting a degree, whilst in reality a lot of graduates work in low
skilled low pay jobs after graduation. There is also the risk, opponents say, of
free college leading to the same waiting lists seen in free healthcare systems.
So, to conclude, free college might be a good thing in that
it might improve social mobility for the poor, save students thousands in debt,
and let them study what they are actually passionate about.
Or it would be financially untenable,
and would saddle working taxpayers with students’ debts,
and would produce low quality degrees. What do you think of free college?
Tell me your opinion in the comments section below.
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