High Tuition

The ability to gain a degree in any field of study is highly important in American society, possessing skills and knowledge over your job emphasizes the significance of higher education. Especially, for job promotions that would cause someone to make more than their fellow colleagues. In our increasingly competitive economic society, having the minimal of a high school diploma is not enough to provide financial stability nor will it help to compete in a workforce in which the best-educated are the ones that are rewarded the most. Therefore, higher education is a crucial necessity in order to move up the socioeconomic ladder and qualify for higher paying jobs. The rising costs of college, however, is making it harder for Americans to obtain

a college degree. Excessive tuition and student loan debt are some of the extensive reasons for people either not going to college or not finishing courses while attending college. There is no denying that our government needs to initiate reforms and work on a budget that will allow individuals to attend school without taking on a huge financial burden.. The federal government and the Department of Education need to have more of a hands on approach when looking for a possible solution to help decrease the costs of college on lower and middle class families. Through further research on college tuition in other countries as well as in our own, imposing new taxes on corporations, and implementing some type of free community college plan, we as a nation can gradually move toward the steps of subsidizing and making college an affordable and viable option for individuals in America.
One of the massive reasons college is so expensive in this day and age is the cost of tuition at many college institutions.

One of the first steps toward college reform is to begin adjusting our tuition rates accordingly. Many college institutions have steadily raised the cost of tuition resulting in many students to have difficulties paying for college across the United States. Tuition rates have been a huge barrier for college undergraduates: "Over the past three decades, tuition at four-year colleges has more than doubled, even after adjusting for inflation" (Fact Sheet). Tuition is steadily increasing, causing college to become more expensive than in previous decades. Instead of helping Americans who have a desire to attend an educational institution, the government is slowly making it harder to attend and pay for college. High Tuition is preventing college undergraduates from obtaining a degree, causing many to be in a financial crisis when taking into account student loans and paying for tuition. Having high inflation rates in the economy is only making it worse and more difficult to get a higher education. The government would undoubtedly want to see improvements in employment rates within the United States, yet when Americans are trying desperately to obtain a degree, they have to deal with the overwhelming, costly tuition rates that have caused many to slow graduation and make college students pile up more debt than necessary. Thus, students often worry about debt

and finances rather than receive a college advanced degree. Furthermore, eliminating the barrier of high tuition rates would be a smart move and it would move many in the direction of relieving people of the stress of paying extra money on college. If America took the time to reform the tuition rate system they would actually be solving some of their problems with unemployment and it would possibly result in state governments having more to spend on their educational institutions: “ Not only is higher education seen as a key to economic advancement, but if all 18-24 year olds were in college, we would reduce the unemployment rate by 2 million people, and fewer people would be in need of governmental assistance” (Samuels). Moreover, a federal program to fund higher education would relieve states of having to fund these institutions, which would free up money for other needed services. This proves that tuition is simply a barrier put up against people to attend school. It is not helping anyone and simply a aggravating hindrance when trying to seek out and obtain a degree. Those two million people who are not employed could be helping our economy and when more people are working the better off our economic system is.
In order to move towards making college more affordable for college undergraduates, the government needs to begin researching other countries’ tuition. More extensive research on how other countries pay for college can help the American government make the necessary adjustments to our college system. In an article posted on the Washington Post website, Bernie Sanders discusses the many different countries that offer free college education; “In Finland, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Mexico, public colleges and universities remain tuition-free" (Sanders). This evidence alone demonstrates how Americans are so far from the loop. All these other countries around the world, mainly in Europe, have changed and approach college much differently from the United States. Many of these countries view college as a key to financial success and educational development. They want their own people to obtain the skills and knowledge necessary in order to work jobs and help stabilize the economy. These countries feel charging huge amounts of excessive tuition can foster discouragement resulting in many to choose not to obtain higher levels of education. Sanders also mentions an increase of American students leaving to attend European universities, while attending as international students, Americans are essentially able to obtain a college education for free: “That’s why every year, more than 4,600 students leave the United States and enroll in German universities” (Sanders). A large amount of foreign exchange students from the United States are choosing to attend college in other countries. For a fee of about 200 per year, an American can earn a degree at a top rated European university. While many European countries have tuition free college and an excessively huge reduction on fees for international students, Germany specifically remains tuition free. This not only includes German or European students, but international students as well. Germany views the excessive amount of tuition for college as a way of interfering with equal opportunity among students. Aside from college applicants having to pay a small administration fee, the German government has done their best to reform the tuition cost by either lowering it or abolishing it entirely. Choosing to attend college in Europe in order to obtain a free education is a huge perk for American students. while it might seem economically feasible to do so, for many individuals, traveling out of the country for a free education is not a practical option.
While more research should be done in other countries to help establish ways of making tuition less costly, exploring ways to finance colleges through creating higher taxes on the upper class should be considered. The government gives out funds to many different businesses. In an article written by Keith Ellison, he discusses how the government provides financial assistance to businesses more than finance colleges within the U.S: "if the nation can provide hundreds of billions of dollars in subsidies to the oil and gas industry and billions of dollars more to Wall Street, we can afford to pay for public higher education. A tax on financial transactions like derivatives and stock trades would cover the cost. Building a truly affordable higher education system is an investment that would pay off economically” (Ellison). Ellison makes the argument that taxing vast corporations is reasonable solution in order to ensure college availability to anyone who wants to receive a degree. Taxing stock trades and derivatives can help out tremendously. By increasing gradually income taxes, large corporations can help fund and lower the cost of college by having to pay for for higher federal taxes which would transfer over to the government for college funds. Government is spending billions on gas and oil companies subsidies. That money could be used for funding and having many more Americans go off to college. In addition, to the subsides and extra cash the government provides for large corporations across the United States, the government should create new federal taxes on enormous businesses to help cover tuition for college students. Through doing this, the federal government and state governments can help support the cost of college tuition rates through higher taxes on derivatives and shares of stocks on businesses: “ Sanders proposes free in-state tuition by issuing a new federal tax on financial transactions, including stock, bond and derivative trades, according to the Washington Post” (Halff). Not only would this lower tuition rates drastically, but it would also cause large corporations to force up extra financial expenses. The extra funds corporations receive could be used to support students to attend a free public college. If a new federal tax was to be created and passed through congress, it would help lower tuition rates tremendously according to Bernie Sanders: “ this new federal tax would provide at least $47 billion for states to cover the cost of undergraduate tuition”. This plan could eliminate and change the financial dynamic and structure of the way we provide education for our American citizens. Through imposing higher taxes, the government could change the way we finance college level education across the U.S.
Another way to make college more affordable for American citizens is to implement a college plan proposed by Obama's administration where everyone will have the opportunity to go to a two year community college for free.

Fact Sheet, a website article, discussed President Obama’s plan to put forth to congress a possible bill related to free community college: " Earlier this year, the President unveiled his America’s College Promise proposal to make two years of community college free so students can earn critical workforce skills and the first half of a bachelor’s degree at no cost, as well as a new American Technical Training Fund to expand innovative, high-quality technical training programs" (Fact Sheet). This plan would allow students to continue their education beyond high school for those who may not be interested in acquiring a four year degree. This would allow them to attend a technical and vocational school to earn the necessary work skills to cement a position in the work force. Offering two years of community college would certainly increase the employment rate among Americans and it would give college students the chance to earn an associate’s degree. Giving college students the opportunity to earn a higher degree would promote economic efficiency and help reduce unemployment by a large amount. Hillary Clinton has been outspoken as of late on having young college students enter community college free of charge throughout her 2016 presidential campaign: “Clinton

noted that New Hampshire has the highest proportion of students with debt and the second-highest average debt per student. She said she aims to make public colleges and universities tuition-free for families earning less than $125,000 per year, to make community college free, and to help students refinance their college debt” (Gaudiano). Clinton along with other democrats seem to be supportive on the issue of free college. Clinton believes in helping out families that make less, which encompass the middle class in her eyes. Clinton seems practical at solving a solution to the problem as she mentions how New Hampshire is the second highest average state that has many students dealing with student debt.
The topic of free college education has been constantly debated throughout politics as of late. Even back in 1877, President Rutherford B. Hayes was a strong supporter of universal public education. Politicians of today’s government like Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama are currently suggesting ways that we can make college more affordable for our common citizens. Through lowering tuition rates, developing certain federal taxes on corporations, and making community college free for any individual we can modify our college educational programs. Developing and implementing these reforms could prove to be impactful for college students across America and generations to come. Reducing the cost of college would make it easier for Americans to gain a college degree, this would insure our economy and democracy is stronger than ever by our own citizens striving towards their ambitions; citizens can achieve this by making college free, this would no doubt reduce financial hindrance that encompasses the college experience in America.