Recently, politicians across the United States have been debating whether or not college should be free. While it seems like an incredible idea, it definitely has its flaws. There are a number of issues within the plan to cancel student debt and create a tuition-free college system across the nation, however, recently, the National Student Clearinghouse completed a survey with data concluding that 47% of Community college students drop out of school, and even more research shows that completion rates decline the less students pay to defray costs, suggesting that free tuition nationwide could lead to an increased dropout rate. Along with rising dropouts, top universities will begin to become overpopulated and teachers will begin to struggle. Not only will their salaries be difficult to pay, but most teachers will end up having classrooms filled well beyond capacity, which leaves students at a disadvantage. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayAs much as I love the idea of ​​free tuition, as an out-of-state student paying over $36,000 a year, I can recognize the fact that it would never work. For starters, more prestigious universities and higher-ranking party schools would be the best choices for incoming freshmen. Smaller schools, private schools and universities that are not nationally known would begin to struggle with student populations. They would not be able to pay their staff, resulting in massive job losses across the nation. I can personally name more than twenty colleges in my hometown, in the state of Illinois, that would close because they are not widely known or recognized. At the same time, big schools like the University of Alabama, Harvard University, MIT, etc. they would start to be inundated with students. Not only would they not be able to house students, they would have to receive funding to build new classroom and dormitory buildings. Where would that money come from if students don't pay to go to school? State taxpayers would have to pay for this, which would lead to residents of states with many large schools moving to states like Montana, Utah, etc. One of the proposal's biggest flaws, however, is the degrading value of a college degree in our country. If a college degree is widely available to everyone, all the time, why should it have more value than a high school diploma? My guess is that it would ultimately be more or less equivalent to a high school diploma, and students would be funneled into the four-year college system just as they entered high school. It would be just four more years of school, with impossibly large classes, teachers with no morals, and insufficient dormitories. Professional jobs would eventually have the minimum requirement of a master's degree, how would that work? Would doctoral and master's programs also be free? Americans would eventually have to be a doctor for an entry-level sales job? Why not? It is free, so employers expect their best potential employees to take advantage of the free education system and go as far as possible. If schools are not regulated, free programs will experience a sort of “tragedy of the commons.” in which excessive consumption leads to a depletion of resources and the consequent rationing of courses and programs, due to students. When students are given the opportunity to attend school withoutno personal cost, it will be easier for them to abandon the course, than if they had just paid for it. Psychologists call this the “sunk cost effect,” people who have invested something significant for themselves, be it time, effort, or money, are more likely to complete their degree, fearing wasting financial resources or personal time. The idea of ​​free college sounds too good to be true, and that's exactly what it is. However, there could actually be many improvements that would help significantly without making college completely free. According to the New York Times, “Rather than free tuition, we need targeted policies that result in more money for need-based aid, from both public and private institutions, and from both state and federal governments. While lower net prices would reduce the need for students and their families to borrow for college, federal student loan programs will remain an important tool for improving college access. Even no tuition would not eliminate the need for loans, as room, board and travel expenses would still be a constraint for some students.” I firmly believe that this would help low-income students struggling to obtain their education, without depleting our entire education system. The issue that I think is often forgotten when discussing the idea of ​​free university education is teachers. Teachers in the United States are already incredibly underpaid. For example, at the University of Mississippi, there are several instructors in every department who are incredibly underpaid at the minimum salary of $24,000 per year for an instructor. This is a huge amount in America and at large universities, as I and many thousands of other students pay nearly $40,000 to attend this school. Even with the high cost of schooling, a large number of teachers are still not well paid. I know personally that my EDHE teacher is a postgraduate student and still has to work 3 jobs. This astounds me. If we can't manage our instructors well, while college is incredibly expensive, how will we pay our incredible teachers when school is free? Where will the money magically appear from? If state taxpayers were expected to pay teachers' salaries, people would start moving to states with sparsely populated colleges. Basically due to the fact that states that have large recognizable schools like the University of Alabama, University of Southern California, etc. they will be in a lot of trouble when tuition is suddenly free and students start funneling into these big “dream” schools. Not only would universities begin to become overpopulated, but taxpayers would be required to pay for a massive increase in the number of teachers. The United States already does not invest enough in our teachers, and free college is essentially taking a step backwards in addressing this problem. Another problem we may face is the loss of trade across the nation. According to the Washington Examiner, Gen-Z is joining schools and vocational programs at a remarkable rate. I believe all of this would end, however, if college were free, as people who surely should be in the trades, will start enrolling in overpopulated schools for no other reason than the fact that they are free. This would absolutely kill the business sector. Vocational schools would remain stagnant with only a few students and there would be places.