Should College be free?

Cameron Stuard, Staff

After high school, about 69% of students will be attending college.  With college being so expensive, many of these students struggle with paying for it.  Students that attend college then have to worry about student debts, and have to pay for where you live.  With all this being said, should college be free?

In September of 2019, New Mexico announced a plan for free college for state residents.  This included families that couldn’t afford college in the first place.  “This program is an absolute game changer for New Mexico. In the long run, we’ll see improved economic growth, improved outcomes for New Mexican workers and families and parents” said Govenor Lujan Grisham in a New York Times article.  With New Mexico starting this new program, this may lead to other states doing the same thing, which could help many students entering college.  

With all of this happening in New Mexico, it is even starting to happen in Washington.  In the spring of 2019, Washington Lawmakers passed an innovative plan to pay some or all of the tuition bill for low- to middle income students and adults returning to college.  A few months earlier, Seattle voters passed a major eduation levy that included $40 million to send Seattle public school graduates to community college with no tuition, according to a Seattle Times article.  With a global pandemic now affecting many people that leaves many questions including, “Will this plan still be taking place?”

With having to worry about school supplies and other payments on top of tuition can make college a nightmare.  With free payments for college, that can help out students in many ways.  It can help people struggling financially and people that are unable to have a good education.  So with new freshmen entering college next fall, I believe free college is the best choice.