Now that we are in election season, along with it comes the inevitable rise of controversial arguments. One of these topics is hitting close to home for many high school students: should college tuition be free? All throughout high school, students are preparing for and deciding about their future. What major am I going be? What classes will I take? What school am I going to go to? For many students, another question they have to ask themselves is: will I be able to afford to go to college?

Tuition prices have risen dramatically in just the past 20 years. The average tuition price among all universities in 1990 stood at $6,562, according to Statistic Brain Research Institute. Today, the average tuition is $20,403. The cost is almost impossible for most students to afford, even with the college fund they’ve had since birth. Paying that much to attend college can put the student, and his or her family, in debt that only worsens when they have to pay off their student loans. According to U.S World News & Report, “The standard repayment plan for federal student loans puts borrowers on a 10-year track to pay off their debt, but research has shown the average bachelor’s degree holder takes 21 years to pay off his or her loans.” Going to college so that a student can get a degree in order to get a job can cost a student about $45,000.

The number of financial concerns that going to college can cause for someone throughout his or her life is daunting. Tuition should be free for all students going to college. Forcing students to pay ridiculous amounts for a degree in order to a get a job to pay back the university that they went to in order to get the job, becomes a never ending cycle of debt and work that makes you wonder, was it worth it? It’s unfortunate that when it comes to getting an education, we would ever have to ask it it’s worth it. When getting an education becomes more of a burden than an opportunity and closes as many doors as it opens, there has to be change.