**TL;DR** - **It comes down to a question of whether university is right for everyone.** The opportunity to go to university is one that is rightly treasured. It provides students with the opportunity to study a subject for which they (hopefully) have a passion alongside some of the world's foremost experts in the field. Yet, the rigour and discipline of university are not for the faint-hearted. Far too often you hear of people not going to lectures, skipping assignments or being unprepared for seminars. When they do this, it is a waste of time for them and also the lecturer. Due to this behaviour, it is worth questioning whether the money required to make university free for everyone would be better placed in another area. Indeed, free tuition, rather than helping those who need it most, [helps those who need it least] (https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelhorn/2019/07/16/five-reasons-why-free-college-doesnt-make-the-grade/?sh=21305901a6c1). Likewise, one of the main reasons for going to university is to acquire a degree. Yet, abolishing tuition fees will not necessarily have an impact on the number of people who _complete_ university. Free tuition means that everyone has the opportunity to go to university but does not mean that they will finish their degree. Therefore, the money needed to make university free could be better served in providing a more diverse range of higher education initiatives. Education does not have to end after school but nor should university be the sole avenue. The aim should be to provide people with an affordable option for a course they can complete and will help them in the future rather than wasting their time on a degree (albeit free) that they have no interest in.

TL;DR – University degrees are already so commonplace. Making higher education free would not really make it more accessible, so there would be no benefit to scrapping tuition fees. In recent decades, the number of young people attending university has increased drastically (see: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-49841620). With this increase in the educated population comes an increase in UK tuition fees. The issue of price, at least in the UK, does not seem relevant to the argument of accessibility: Despite the increase in price, university has never been more popular.

**Who should pay for students to go to university?** • This debate is centred around whether university courses should be paid for by the government (or more precisely, by taxpayers) or by the individual student. • Some argue that university should be free because the fees [gatekeep poorer students](https://www.theguardian.com/education/2018/dec/19/society-has-a-duty-to-help-poor-students-university-leaders-on-tuition-fees), who are already unrepresented in academic settings. They argue that university should be free so that it is more accessible for everyone who wants to pursue higher education. A university degree is beneficial for many; studies have shown that university graduates [earn more on average](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/869263/The_impact_of_undergraduate_degrees_on_lifetime_earnings_research_report_ifs_dfe.pdf) than non-graduates. • Others claim that university has become a [commodity](https://londonstudent.coop/in-tory-britain-higher-education-is-a-commodity-and-universities-are-businesses/), and students merely consumers of it. They argue that this has dissolved the value of academia. Many now view university fees as simply paying for a qualification, and complain that contact hours and teaching materials vary significantly by course, but all students must pay the same amount. • Others argue that now _too many_ people attend university, when their career goals or lifestyles might be more suited to other further education options. They argue that this is the cause for [increasing drop-out rates](https://www.thirdway.org/report/what-free-wont-fix-too-many-public-colleges-are-dropout-factories); students feel as if they can apply for and drop-out of university whenever because there are no costs or consequences.