Do you like the "Pay it forward" (free college) idea?

It's an interesting idea and its success will depend on how it is implemented. Like anything, there are people who should be in college and others who shouldn't waste their time with it.

I went to college and do not regret my time there. I learned a lot and in some ways it has changed my life, not necessarily for better or for worse. But, it wasn't a huge game changer for me and on reflection, military service or trade school would likely have been a far better choice for me. However, my parents never gave me or allowed any exploration of those as options. All that was discussed was college.

Many people do not have the ability or the tools or the training to make an educated choice for themselves. They need help to make those choices. They need to be pushed in directions that they might not be able to see themselves.

Back when my dad was young he told me he could remember when college was FREE to any state resident, you needed to buy the books, you had to pass and entrance exam, but after that you signed up for classes, and that was it. The teachers were state employees and paid for by the state. And for the record in many places each college has it own entrance exam and if you don't pass you don't get in.

Now I don't know if he misremembered, or if there was some programs at the time but given the amount money most colleges get from the state and federal government there is no real reason college couldn't be free.

When college is free to the student, they tend to do worse than the student that has to pay their own way. I believe a better idea would be reimbursement for good grades. If there was a 100% refund for an A, a 75% for a B, a 25% for a C, and everything else would be 0%, a student would study harder because it would be their money on the line and not someone else's.

From a monetary perspective this is no different from Swedish-style student loans. I think personally that makes more sense. You are granted a loan which you then pay back.

The family has had 18 years to save some money for college but even families with decent incomes don't do it. I know what it is like to work 40 hours and try to take a full load of classes. Americans are going to have to learn to save money for school and retirement.