Ed Problem the Costs of

Ed Problem The costs of a college education in the United States are spiraling out of control. Tuition, room and board at some private institutions exceed $50,000 a year. Financial aid can help defray costs, but some students still find that out-of-pocket expenses are far greater than their financial resources can cover. In some instances, families raid their savings accounts or assume second mortgages on their homes. Students may find, upon completing an undergraduate degree, they have six-figure debts that will take decades to repay.

Rising costs of college have outpaced inflation and salaries. It appears that there are tuition hikes every year. What can be done? In some European countries, students do not pay to attend college. Institutions of higher learning are free. It may be a solution to the dilemma of high college costs that the U.S. government should consider. It would allow students to attend college without putting severe financial burdens on their families. Without financial barriers, more students would be able to pursue education beyond high school.

A more educated population would make Americans more competitive in the global marketplace. Unfortunately, this solution results in as many problems as it appears to solve. In the first place, free education is not really free. The financial support needed for faculty, support staff, and all expenses related to facilities must come from somewhere. If students and their families do not bear the burden directly, they will have to bear it indirectly, in the form of higher taxes.

All large-scale government programs must be funded with taxpayer dollars; there is no other way to cover costs. Taxpayers who do not attend college or who do not have children who attend college will very likely be unhappy about tax hikes designed to cover the cost of "free" college education for all. Students and their families would likely view higher taxes as forced savings, but people who do not have children would probably not share that view.

Higher taxes would not serve the purpose of being forced savings; they would be added expense that could provide real hardship for some. There is also a question about college aptitude.

Should everyone go to college? "In my experience," wrote McArdle (2010) "the European system [under which college is free] produces, even more than the American one, large numbers of students who dawdle along towards a degree because being in school is very cheap, and preferable to working." In our modern culture, we have been led to believe that a college education is essential for career and financial success.

While it is true that, on average, college graduates earn more over their lifetimes than individuals with high school diplomas only, there are careers in the trades that pay well -- auto mechanics, plumbing, and construction, to name just three. There are people who have become millionaires as entrepreneurs, putting good ideas and hard work together to make a great deal of money. Not everyone is a scholar. There are different types of intelligence and some of those types are not suited to achievement in the classroom.

A college education is not necessarily the best path for everyone. Free college education might fill classrooms with too many people who are not suited for academics, diluting resources for those individuals for whom college is the right choice. There are pros.