Argumentative Essay On Free Community College

In early January, President Obama announced his plan to make community college free for all Americans. The president’s bold statement has drawn lots of attention and debate to the concept of free community college. Some states and cities have adopted free community college programs in just the past couple of years, and the president is using those examples to base his own nationwide plan. Conversation on the topic has not died down, Presidential candidates for the 2016 election are also tackling the issue. Supports of free community college believe the educational opportunities would help poor Americans succeed in society, closing the wage gap. There are also many strongly opposed to free community college and find many faults in the President’s plan. Free community college would greatly effect this country. Whether good or bad, its impact would be felt across the nation.

Under the President’s plan, “The White House estimates that the free tuition program would cost $6 billion a year. But that money would simply replace the tuition students were already paying, not increase colleges’ revenue.” (Bailey and Scott-Clayton par. 10). Under the free tuition program, colleges would lose out on the tuition that was prior to being paid by students. The federal government is not footing the entire bill. They are requiring the states to absorb a quarter of the costs. This means the states would have to pull money from their current subsidies and put it into the federal plan in order to cover the money, but the President’s plan is counting on the states to pull additional money on top of their subsidies. Either way, there will not be enough money from the states to actually put into action free community