The issue of free tertiary education has sparked considerable debate. From my own perspective, while there are social benefits to making universities free, I partly disagree with the complete elimination of tuition fees due to concerns about its sustainability.
On the one hand, free-of-charge universities can broaden college education access to students from all socioeconomic backgrounds. Some institutions, especially higher-ranking ones, require tuition fees upwards of $100,000, placing a significant barrier for students from lower-income backgrounds. By dropping tuition, more people can engage in high-level education, which can significantly improve learning outcomes and contribute to the development of a knowledge-based society.
On the other hand, there are many factors that make free post-secondary education realistically unsustainable. First of all, it allows learners to withdraw without consequences. The removal of tuition fees reduces the financial responsibility and sense of commitment that encourage students to persist in their studies, making disengagement far more likely. As a result, valuable resources may be wasted that could otherwise be allocated to educating more committed individuals. Furthermore, as tuition is a major source of income for universities, removing it can absolutely cripple colleges’ ability to invest in their curriculum. To mitigate this, governments may be forced to impose higher taxes, a measure that disproportionately affects lower-income families and ultimately exacerbates existing income inequality.
To sum up, while dropping tertiary education fees can help an increased number of people get exposed to higher-level learning, it is practically unmaintainable and may negatively impact poor households due to increased tax. Therefore, I partly disagree that tuition fees should be removed.