“The cost of an undergraduate degree has increased by 213% in public schools and 129% in private schools.”Students already have rigorous classes to worry about, finances are one thing that shouldn’t have to worry about. “On average, college students walk away with $30,000 worth of loans.”College should be free for all students.

Eliminate the Burden of Student Debt
The first and most compelling reason why college should be free is because of the debt.  Most students cannot fully pay for college unless their parents are rich.
“Americans have accrued more than 1.7 trillion in student debt to attend four-year colleges, according to the data collection group.” The simple fact that student debt is in the trillions is crazy and something needs to be done about it. It takes people’s entire lives to pay that debt back.

Better Access to Education (Equality)

Many cannot afford to go to college, and the cost can also cause students to start college to drop out. “If college was free, it would give everyone an equal opportunity for education. If this were the case, people would take advantage of higher education and pursue a degree” (Castellano). The cost of college shouldn’t be a reason a student doesn’t want to receive higher education. “A lot of the brightest minds come from low-income households, but that shouldn’t hold them back from furthering their education. If there was an equal opportunity to attend college, everyone would have the chance to go to school, regardless of their economic status” (Castellano).

CounterClaim
Free college is a very good idea that could solve many problems, but it does have some downsides. According to Leef, some reasons why free college is a bad idea include, “People usually don’t put as much care or effort into things they get for free as they do with things they are paying for. An adverse consequence of free college would be a further degradation of the college curriculum”. The idea of free college is good but there would need to be a lot of work to be done in order for it to happen. Students would have to take advantage of this opportunity and not be lazy about it. Every good idea has its pros and cons, but in this situation, the pros outweigh the cons and free college needs to be a priority.

Improves Economy/ More Educated Population
Another important aspect that free college would positively affect is the economy. “If people were to graduate with debt, it could fast track their ability to earn, save, and spend. This helps stimulate the economy. More demand in spending also relates to higher demand in the workforce.” The current state of the economy is not in good shape anyway.

Making college free, positively affects the economy. Also, making college free would make the general population more educated.” If more people could attend college for free then the workforce would expand, positively affecting the economy.” Having a more educated population would better not just the economy, but it would better us as a nation.

Conclusion 
In conclusion, free college would benefit all types of people. Everyone deserves a higher education than high school. Just because a person’s financial status isn’t the same as a millionaire doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be able to go to college. College is the place where people find their career or dream career. The price of college shouldn’t hold students back from going.