thoughts on HRCs free college tuition/loan plan

[6andcounting]

(08-09-2016, 08:46 PM)Belsnickel Wrote: Second, the claim that enrollment would skyrocket is a bit dubious. Enrollment would not skyrocket because admissions standards wouldn't change, especially not overnight. Even at community colleges you would have to have a massive infrastructure expansion to allow for any sort of increased enrollment, and of course many more instructors.

Harvard wouldn't change their admission criteria or let more students in, but for profit schools that have no admission standards at all will gladly accept you and the 20k a year the government would pay on your behalf. Smaller schools looking to grow - even those that are actually reputable and worthwhile - would certainly way the costs and benefits of lowering standards by X, but having X number of more students funding the program.

For profits schools aren't going to be slow to adapt if there's money to be had. Phoenix University or whatever it is is all online. Professors are all or mostly paid per diem, so it wouldn't take much for an online professors to teach a class with more students. It also wouldn't take much to convince professors from other universities to teach a few online classes a year and pick up extra money. Basically anyone with a masters degree can teach undergrad courses; there are already plenty of people out there working full time in their field and teaching part time at night or online.