Free-Dom At Last: College Tuition?

By: Alistair McDonald               

Mass Media Industries Blog Staff Writer

BLUE BELL, PA-Imagine a world where college is free. Imagine not having huge tuition bills, long-term payments, financial aid problems or taking out student loans.

     On January 20, 2015, President Obama brought this idea to life by announcing his decision to try to make the first two years of community college free.  “Forty percent of our college students choose community college,” Obama said. “Some are young and just starting out. Some are older and looking for a better job. Some are veterans and single parents trying to transition back into the job market...this plan is your chance to graduate...without a load of debt.”

     Obama felt that if students were able to gain the same access to schooling like public schools, then enrollment and graduation rates would be higher. He also stated that this would boost more people up to middle class by not having young people in debt from student loans. 

     But the president made it clear that a grade point average of 2.5 of higher must be maintained and this program will only be for the first two years when students take their prerequisite courses.  This plan allows the federal government to pay for 75 percent of college tuition fees and the states would pick up the rest. The biggest question is can this realistically work and how soon will it start?

     Michael B. Horn from CNN says that the plan is a good idea but it realistically won’t work.  “The proposal would not only pile up more debt by further subsidizing runaway college costs, it would also perilously undercut the emergence of more innovative educational programs designed to help students succeed in the workforce,” said Horn. 

     Students around the Montgomery County Community College campus had mix feelings about the tuition free plan.  Shelley Santos, a student in her second year, said,  “Well, I wish he did it sooner before I paid all the money.”  Students Aaron Hall and Nick Kirk said the plan is a great idea but it better hurry up and start before they hit their second year.

     The terms of President Obama’s plan are still in discussion.  Regardless of the various opinions around campus and around the nation, Obama still has not said anything about abandoning the idea.  As for the future of community college enrollees, only time will tell if this will become a reality.