Free community college for everyone? We can all be Aric Hall!

[videogamesrock]

Something needs to be done to improve college affordability and quality, but I don't think free tuition is the right solution. France has great public education, but staggering university dropout rates, partly due to the fact that it's free. Some skin in the game helps prevent 18-19 year old students from not caring at all, which many of them would be tempted to do. In addition, if CC is free, I fear it would essentially become an extension of high school, which is the last thing anyone needs.

Of OECD countries, Canada has the highest percentage of adults over 25 with degrees at something like 52%. ("degree" here is defined as a Bachelor's degree or higher) College isn't free in Canada, but tuition is generally lower than US state schools. I'm not advocating any country's specific system, but I think this at least proves that college does not need to be free to be accessible, which is presumably the point of Pres. Obama's proposal. I'm actually disappointed by this announcement, because I think the country could use an education legacy from the Obama presidency, but this proposal is unlikely to make it through Congress and even if it did, would have doubtful positive social impact, before you even consider the financial implications.

My wife (a Canuck) says that college is pretty expensive in Canada. She also says that salaries tend to be higher in Canada which makes paying for an education easier. Her nursing program in Canada would have cost her easily over $40,000 and it will cost her in the US around $13,000. It really depends, but from visiting Canada, EVERYTHING is more expensive there. An 18 pack of beer will cost you $50.00.

Tuition fees by university | AUCC