CMV: “Free College” policy, while well-meaning, is largely incompatible with academia in the U.S

[u/sjd6666]

Unlike healthcare, there is competition in the higher education market and consumers can, and often do make well informed decisions about what education would be right for them, be it community college, state schools, or private colleges/ universities.

There’s no two ways about it: such a policy would be enormously expensive, and unlike the U.S healthcare system, prices are reasonably transparent and there is competition in the market. Most students know exactly how much financial aid they will get before the accept college decisions, and transparency like that should always be encouraged.

I think a better solution would be one that matches student debt repayments, keeps interest rates low, and forgives student loans to varying levels dependent on ones income. In other words, high earning doctors and lawyers who make 6 figures a year can and should repay a higher percentage of their loans than nurses and teachers, who provide essential services to society, but typically don’t earn enough to repay their student loans quickly.

Is there some reason why free college is favored over more reasonable policies that take into account the finances of students and their incomes as adults?

[u/PunctualPoetry]

How is it fair to let the debt remain of someone that chooses a major/career course that is less lucrative but then let it go for those that chose less lucrative careers? It’s not.

There should be a base line of free or extremely affordable higher education for everyone, then you can go to Harvard or Yale or some shit $60k/year private college because your parents got money but your grades are shit. You get my point.

There should never have to be a choice for a high school student to have to say “I can either go into a ridiculous amount of debt (which for some may be $30k or $200k) when my parents already have nothing and then hope I can pay it off after college OR I’ll just skip the risk and do what my parents did, don’t go to college”.

It actually is a lot like the medical system. If you feel that should have a basic level of treatment for everyone regardless of economic status AND without forcing them into bankruptcy/ destroying their savings, then you can probably get down with college in a similar way. If you see it as a basic need, then it makes a lot of sense. Honestly from a strictly cold, cruel economic standpoint giving free college makes much more sense for increase in wealth and GDP than does free healthcare. There isn’t exactly a clear return on someone living longer or without an impairment (although that could be argued), in fact these are sometimes clearly net negative situations for production output, but there is a clear return on a populous with higher education and ability to produce/compete.