Four-year public college should be freeZamzam AlbulushiOhio UniversityToday, in order to meet the demands of a growing global economy, Americans need more experience and abilities (Kelly, 2011). To improve the skills of Americans, colleges are deciding to increase tuition for public college students. In this case, students are forced to pay exorbitant tuition fees for four years and, to help them, the government provides them with subsidies to improve their income. However, this approach raised controversy among many students and parents, and led them to consider that it was not the right solution. Once students graduate from four years, they leave college with significant debt. In general, four-year higher education should be free for everyone. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (2013), the number of undergraduate students enrolled in four-year colleges increased to 10.5 million in 2011 from 6.7 million in 1990. Due to this increase, many universities have become more crowded and with larger numbers of students. The U.S. Department of Education (2014b) found that in 2011-2012, the average tuition cost was $14,300 at public institutions for tuition, room and board. As a result, “higher education has transformed into a much larger financial gamble” (Weismann, 2013, para. 9). This is true because most college students cannot afford to pay high tuition fees, even if they strongly desire to attend college. First, free public colleges improve academic and career opportunities in the future. Unemployment is a growing problem in the United States. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (2014a), the...... middle of paper ......graduation rate (N=680 4-year colleges and universities): selected years , NSSE 2005 and 2004. In U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics (Ed.), What Matters for Student Success (2013 ed.). Retrieved from http://nces.ed.gov/npec/pdf/kuh_team_report.pdf Weismann, J. (2013). How Washington Could Make Tuition Free (Without Spending a Dime More on Education). The Atlantic. Retrieved from http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/03/how-washington-could-make-college-tuition-free-without-sending-a-penny-more-on-education/273801/ White House, (January 9, 2015). Fact Sheet - White House Unveils America's Universities Promise Proposal: Tuition-Free Community College for Responsible Students. Retrieved from https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/01/09/fact-sheet-white-house-unveils-america-s-college-promise-proposal-tuitio