by Gary O'Neill

Created on: December 03, 2008

Anyone considering going to higher levels of education should not expect "the government" to help pay their college expenses. "The government" may find that it is beneficial to subsidize some students for a variety of reasons: special merit (high academic achievement, previous service to the community), special circumstances on the part of the student or special needs of the local community (teachers, doctors or other skills). But routine subsidies to all students would divert public funds from other needs such as law enforcement, infrastructure and other needs.

The government already helps pay college expenses through indirect means. State legislatures and city councils already provide a significant portion of the operating budgets of the schools in their communities. They often provide services such as fire departments, medical assistance and police protection for the schools and their students. State governments often provide funds for academic research which provides funds for both professors and graduate students. While the money isn't given to individual students, these contributions are not trivial and often provide more funds to operate the schools than the tuition received from the students.

College tuition and expenses are significantly higher than they were ten or twenty years ago. The increasing cost of higher education is a legitimate cause for concern, but solving the matter through government subsidies of individuals may not be the best solution for the country in the long run. Countries in Europe that provide low cost college education also have significantly higher tax rates which lower incomes across the board, even for those who do not go to college. Because the government pays the bill, there is also less incentive to find better ways to provide the education at lower cost, so the system never changes.

In contrast, in the U.S., there are market driven approaches to providing a sound, affordable education. There are internet based courses and local community colleges providing the lower level undergraduate courses at lower cost. While the education gained in this way doesn't have the classic 'four years at an ivy covered campus' look and feel, there is every indication that the results are nearly the same. In addition, there are many corporations, large and small, that contribute funds for employees to continue their education because it makes good business sense to do so. Again, going to 'night school' might not be as idyllic and romantic, but it seems to meet the needs of many and help them launch successful careers.

There are many ways to fund a college education. Expecting the government to subsidize individuals through use of taxes is the least attractive option: government handouts are inefficient and affect all taxpayers whether or not they benefit from the use of the funds.

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