On January of 2015 a 23-year old Danish student Louis Moe Christoffersen arrived to Baltimore for an exchange semester, he noticed something right away; Everything was much more expensive at a US college than at home.
since 1985 Us college tuition fees have increased by 500 percent, and they keep rising. President Obama’s plan to make community colleges free has faced aggressive responses as politicians argue how much should students pay for higher education. The opposite is the case in Denmark as they pay their students to college.
“Danish citizens don’t have to pay for any tuition fees. Housing is really cheap, as well,” Christoffersen said, before adding: “In fact, we’re all being paid by our government if we’re enrolled in a university. It’s like somebody is paying you a salary for going to your college classes.”
Every Danish student recieves about 900$ (5,839 Danish krones) per moth under a scheme known as SU (statens Uddannelsesstotte). The generous financial support does not have to be paid back even if students drop out, and the only major requirement is that they do not live with their parents. Students receive the free funding for a maximum of six years, starting at the age of 18. Those who are particularly successful are eligible to receive additional payments. Like my friend David who i met in Bolivia, he received a bonus $1,500 for academic achievements each month.
Other European countries, such as Germany, have similar, but private schemes. For instance, many companies offer dual degree programs that involve practical training at work as well as semesters spent in a college environment. Those students are paid their salary by their companies even when they are studying. In doing so, companies hope to entice promising talents early on. These programs are also offered to American students as German companies feel that American universities are charging too much for tuition.
However Denmark collects 37.4% to 63% in income taxes. In my opinion community colleges should be free, as they are on other countries, at the same time i don’t quite agree too much on paying students to go to college, but providing higher education to those who really desire to strive academically. deficit is one of the country’s major problem but providing a higher education to the next generation might help the economy re-stabilize itself and then pay off America’s debt with a more educated society that will understand what need to be done than today’s average folk.