The Cost of Knowledge

Some people would agree that college tuition should not reduced, and policies that do so will only hurt people attempting to attend college. After all, students hardly ever pay the "sticker price", or posted tuition rate. While tuition cost has spiked to around 60% over the last 20 years, financial aid has also increased. Universities typically practice price discrimination, allegedly making college more affordable for a wider base of people. Tuition- reduction policies could put price reduction and significant financial aid at risk.

I would have to disagree with the viewpoint above. While colleges do hike up tuition to provide more student services and excellent professors, colleges and universities are typically government aided. Tuition is merely an addition, available for services, teachers, and certain renovations, among other things. Some tuition amounts are uncalled for regardless of the amount of financial aid provided. A perfect real life example of this is Berklee College of Music. Berklee charges almost $60,000 a year for just their tuition and room and board. While they claim to hand out millions of dollars in scholarships, a typical scholarship ($10,000) hardly makes a dent for students that want to attend. There is barely an excuse for charging an exorbitant amount of money, and Berklee isn't the only school like this. World-class professors and facilities can be funded privately and through at least half the cost of the current tuition. If tuition were to be eliminated or significantly lowered, it would allow people of all backgrounds to enjoy the same benefits.            

I believe policies that reduce or eliminate tuition for universities need to be put in place. It would save the average family about $9500 a year, and make bigger and better colleges more accessible to those of lower economic status. This would boost America's economic, technological, and political progress, and make it an environment where everyone has the same access to knowledge as everyone else.