A current ongoing controversy in the world today surrounds the topic of tuition free public college. The topic came to worldwide attention in the 60s when the tuition-free state universities in the US started making social and legislative changes, which began the era of the student loan crisis. The changes began after WWII, as the GI Bill increased the number of Americans wanting to go to college, and continued into the 1960s, culminating in Civil Rights and student protests. These events, the new influx of college eligible Americans, and their related demand for education (which outpaced supply and funding), led to the end of free-tuition state universities, the start of universities as a for-profit business, and the start of the student loan crisis under the Johnson and Nixon administrations. Johnsons arguably well-intentioned legislation created a huge influx of college eligible Americans. Instead of continuing the tradition of tuition-free public colleges by increasing tax
funding to meet these demands, states began reducing the per-student funding across the board, and state schools began charging tuition for the first time since the Morrill Land-Grand Act. (Sanchez) The topic comes up again when Obama unveils the Americas College Promise proposal to make two years of community college free for responsible students, letting students earn the first half of a bachelors degree and earn skills needed in the workforce at no cost. (Bumphus) Proponents of tuition-free college argue it will decrease student debt, benefit the economy and society, and give everyone the opportunity to the college education they deserve; while opponents argue, strained state budgets, a decrease in graduate rates, and financially illiterate students. A simple compromise to this ongoing controversy is to make two years of college as free and universal as high school, building on state and local college programs, and expanding Pell grants to make student debt more manageable.