How Offering Free Tuition to Students - Case Study Example

Stanford University: How Offering Free Tuition to Students is good for the University Education is one of the most valuable any parent can give to his/her children. As such many parents will do everything at their disposable to see that children acquire the best quality of education. Parents sell their houses, land and other available assets with the sole intention of investing in the future of their children. The cost of education on the other hand has been increasingly trending upwards thus placing more burden on parents and students. The government has come in handy especially for the poorest families through programs such subsidised loans and federal Pell Grants which aim at assisting them also access quality education. Universities have also responded by subsidising fees for the most poor and introducing programs like work studies aimed at enabling students afford the cost of their education. In this paper I focus on how offering free tuition to students is beneficial for university students. Stanford University has expanded its financial aid policy and will be providing free tuitions for students from families making $125,000 and below in a year. Those from family backgrounds making below $65,000 will not be expected to pay for accommodation either. This is a commendable step by a private institution; it may not address the entire inequality problem in the US but will inspire other private and public universities as well as the state to do more. With the Stanford plan the parents of eligible students will not expected to pay even a single shilling towards their children’s tuition fee. Instead, the stud parents themselves through personal savings, earning from part-time jobs and summer employment will have to contribute up to 5,000 dollars towards college costs. There is no rule however, bearing parents from covering their children’s required amounts. This means a lot of flexibility for parents and students to join hands in contributing towards education despite the waiver. One goal that is very important and has for sometimes now in formed US federal government’s policy on education is social mobility. Education is associated with better achievements in life and holds the key to the economic growth of families at the bottom of our social pyramid. In fact the goal of the federal government’s introduction of subsidised student loans and Penn Grants is to seen upward social mobility by enabling students from disadvantaged backgrounds also access quality education to the highest level possible. Having education means the young men and women can now participated in the social, economic and political issues affecting not only them but also the entire nation. They are able to actively participate in the making of policies that affect their lives hence improve the quality of life they lead. Elimination of tuition fee for university students will therefore greatly compliment the government’s efforts of ensuring all people acquire the highest possible and quality education. Education is one of the surest and sustainable ways of eliminating unemployment especially on the supply side not only in the United States but the world over. Education enables transfer of knowledge and skills that in turn enhance employability among individuals. It will be remembered that illiteracy is the main cause of unemployment and a host of many other social issue among the poorest families. The unemployment among such families is brought about by literacy and partly because of historical discrimination. The only way out for them is through being an opportunity to study and achieve not only quality but also the highest academic standards. It is the right of every American child also to be given an opportunity to achieve and make benefit of their potentials to the fullest. Removing tuition fee apart from improving employability and thus alleviating unemployment will also unsure that youth are given the potential of fully achieving their potentials as per their capabilities. The students are therefore guaranteed of quality lives in future as well as those of their families. Waiver of tuition fee for the University of Stanford and other universities is indeed good news especially for young men and women from poor economic backgrounds in the United States. It means disadvantaged students will have access to top learning institutions and interact with others from all walks of life during their academic life. The economic crisis of 2008 and rise of the Occupy movement in the year 2011 has resulted in an increased focus on economic diversity. Economic diversity is being entrenched in the mission of many colleges; Ivy schools now waive tuition fee for students from families making below $75,000 yearly, the same is happening with universities like Duke, Stanford and some state institution like Virginia University and UC Berkeley. The ultimate implication of this is that outstanding students from low and middle-income families can access quality education without the fear of amassing huge loans to pay their school fees. The parents are also relieved of the huge burden and now can make some good savings and invest in other things (Murphy, 2015). Those of the different opinion base their criticism on the argument that as much as this can contribute to the bridging of income inequalities both within and outside the education sector, the impact in and outside the colleges is very small. Their argument is that just waiving tuition fee alone will not deliver a level playing ground in the education sector which appears to be heavily pitched in favour of students from wealthy families. It is because of the unequal educational opportunities that only a few students from families making below six figure incomes every year attend the University of Stanford and others. For the University of Stanford particularly critics of the move argued that only thirty percent of the entire student population are from low income backgrounds and as such the impact will be almost negligible. Indeed the argument by those who think tuition waiver alone may not yield desirable results makes sense. However, it should be noted that such efforts only compliment efforts of government to ensure also the poor get an opportunity. By include income in the criteria for selection of students universities are able to achieve meaningful affirmative action and credit students for their achievement & efforts even with the fact they may have missed out on privilege. Better yet such moves by colleges and universities will serve as a wakeup call for the government at both levels to do more in improving the academic experiences of all American children all the way from the prekindergarten level on. The outcome in the end will be that all American kids are able to achieve and make benefit of their potentials to the best of their capabilities and not privilege. As part of my research I had interviews with a number of students on the college to seek their reactions. The running theme among responses is that they are all happy with the steps the university is doing in terms of attaining affirmative action and economic diversification. They both happy and excited with waiver of tuition fee for the poor as it will mean children from the well off families also have an opportunity to interact with the disadvantage and vice versa. My interview with three students is as below: Me: What is your reaction to the decision of offering free tuition? Student 1: I am very happy especially for those of us from disadvantaged families. It means poor students don’t have to miss out on opportunities due to lack of money. Student2: I applaud the university’s decision. It will give equal opportunity for students from both rich and poor families to access education. Student 3: It will compliment the government’s efforts of assisting students from poor backgrounds access the highest possible quality education. Me: Do you see it make Impact? Student 1: Definitely it will have a positive impact; unemployment among the poor is due to low educational attainment. This will solve the problem promote upward social mobility. Student 2: Yes, the life of a student in campus will be better as there will be at least some more disposable income and savings. Student 3: Yes, parents will not feel a lot of pressure to pay fees for their children. Me: Thank you very much all for giving me audience and responding to my questions. In conclusion therefore offering free tuition in universities will greatly benefit students and parents with low annual earnings. They can at least be sure that their children will be given an educational opportunity and credit for their efforts and not privilege. The more will also contribute to the creation of a level play round in the education sector where a child from both the privileged and disadvantaged backgrounds will compete from the same level at least academically. It will also send a message to the government at both local and federal levels to do more in supporting educational achievement among the disadvantage all the way from the lowest to the highest level. Works Cited. 1. Abby Jackson. “Ivy League Colleges Offer Free Tuition to Certain Students-Here’s How Financial Aid Packages Stack Up.” Business Insider, 2015. Retrieved from: http://www.businessinsider.com/congrats-you-got-into-the-school-of-your-dreams-now-its-time-to-think-about-how-to-pay-for-it-2015-4 2. Allie Bidwell. “Free Tuition Plans Don’s Solve the College Cost Problem.” U.S News, 2015. Retrieved at: http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2015/04/06/free-tuition-plans-dont-solve-the-college-cost-problem 3. James S. Murphy. “Stanford’s Tuition Giveaway Is Not Good News.” The Atlantic, April 10 2015. Retrieved from: http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2015/04/stanfords-tuition-giveaway-is-not-good-news/390090/ Read More