Prompt: University education should be free to everyone, regardless of income. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

It is sometimes argued that all students should be provided with free higher education. I completely disagree with this idea, because I believe that it does not tackle the root of the financial problem students face but could lead to undesirable outcomes. Ċ In my opinion, only deregulating tuition fees would not solve any problems of the financial burden on young people. The argument in favour of free university is often that it should increase access to higher education for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. However, I believe this to be a very shortsighted view, as it usually does not cover other significant expenses that matter for them. For example, the idea of free education simply not address the rising cost of living including accommodation, food, transportation, and other necessities. Thus, poor families may still not afford to send their children to university, even if they are not charged any tuition fees. Ċ At the same time, I would argue that a free higher education system could cause unnecessary difficulties. Firstly, such a system would cost governments billions of dollars, which often means they have to raise taxes to make up for that loss. However, it is clearly unfair to impose this burden on taxpayers as they do not profit much from the education of others. Secondly, I also doubt that job markets can absorb the overwhelming number of graduates in every field that a free-education system may supply. Currently, many countries are struggling to address the high unemployment rate of those with a university degree, and free universities will only aggravate the situation. Ċ In conclusion, while free higher education might seem like a good idea, I believe that such a system would be unworkable and largely pointless.