There is no denying that education plays such a vital role in somebody’s future success. However, I disagree that a tertiary education should be free of charge.
The first argument against a free university education is that if a university education were to be made free, students would likely take it for granted. Attending a free university means that students have nothing to lose if they do not take their academic life seriously. They might then end up devoting themselves to their academic life half-heartedly, which could eventually lead to them not becoming qualified graduates. As a result, given that free education is frequently subsidized by governments, this would waste more money as it will not actually equip students with qualifications to get a job. In contrast, if students are obliged to pay for their university education, they are more likely to take full advantage of it since they invest a great deal of money to obtain a degree.
The second reason why a university education should not be made free to all students is because it can risk lowering the quality of the education itself. Although a free university education means everyone will be given an equal opportunity to get a degree irrespective of their financial circumstances, they are less likely to experience high-quality education. This is simply because universities need to earn a source of income to hire qualified lectures, create well-equipped classrooms, provide reliable learning resources, regularly maintain the buildings, and so forth. When confronted with a lack of funding, they have to remove some of the facilities or use cheaper resources to compensate for it. Simply put, free education will be of poorer quality despite reaching students from a wider range of social-economic status.
In conclusion, not only will a free university education probably cause students to devalue the education itself, but it will also lead to universities not being able to maintain their highest standards. Having considered the drawbacks, I have no doubt that a tertiary education should remain exclusive to those who can afford it.