The cost of college could soon be free for students attending community colleges in the near future, if President Obama’s proposal regarding paid tuition attains approval by the federal government.

Obama first introduced the proposal earlier this January, in an annual State of the Union address. This is a plan in which he hopes to make possible for over nine million students across the country. Some have argued that attending college cost-free would be a poor decision, due to the belief that students would abuse the program, while others have voiced their opinions in regards to an advantageous aspect of the notion.

However, Obama’s proposal has a catch – qualifying students must maintain at least a 2.5 grade point average, while continuing to complete an educational program within the college.

However, the idea of going to community college for free does not sound rewarding for some people. “Free tuition might make the job market crash in terms of graduation rates. Many people are going to be attending and I think that it’s actually a reason as to why tuition is being raised over the years, to prevent people from going because there are too many graduates,” SFSU student Juvilyn Cabilin said.

Currently, there are over 7 million students in the United States who attend community colleges, according to a statistic from the American Association of Community Colleges.

If the amount of students attending school increases, this can cause enrollment rates to skyrocket, and these factors can lead to an over capacity in community colleges.

Cabilin continued, “Also, how would that impact the schools in terms of capacity? It sounds like a good idea, but there are many loopholes and factors that you have to consider before going
forward with the decision.” San Bruno resident Irene Crivello pointed out that extending the duration of public school systems could help with this issue.

“I think the government should extend the public high school system by two years, with funding coming from the state,” Crivello said. “It’s a natural extension, and maybe students could have practice jobs for experience, with classes such as financial planning. It would be a good idea because many students don’t survive the first year of college. It’s hard.”

The elimination of tuition could have negative impacts on the quality of a student’s education as well. “I think that having free tuition is every student’s dream, but not having to pay fees could also lead to what kind of education the students are receiving. Not having funds for the institution’s resources can be a problem,” SFSU student Benedict Cases said.

Up until 1984, community colleges were free in the state of California, but what caused the school systems to revert back to charging fees? Skyline College guidance counselor Kent Gomez mentioned that he thinks this is due to funding costs. “I think it’s due to budget cuts, more money for prisons, which in turn is less funding for colleges,” he said.

Gomez also mentioned that he wanted to rid the stigma of community colleges. “The barrier is more on people not understanding the benefits that they could get by attending because it’s cheaper.”