Ireland's Free-College Experiment: Lessons and Warnings for US Policymakers

Autor/inn/en	Delisle, Jason D.; Hauptman, Arthur M.
Institution	American Enterprise Institute (AEI)
Titel	Ireland's Free-College Experiment: Lessons and Warnings for US Policymakers
Quelle	(2021), (19 Seiten) PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Monographie
Schlagwörter	Higher Education; Tuition; Educational Policy; Case Studies; Undergraduate Students; Access to Education; Policy Analysis; Social Differences; Equal Education; Political Attitudes; Foreign Countries; Enrollment Trends; Graduation Rate; Educational Attainment; Educational Trends; Barriers; Educational Quality; Educational Change; Educational Resources; Expenditure per Student; Educational Finance; Comparative Education; College Attendance; Ireland; United States + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Hochschulbildung; Hochschulsystem; Hochschulwesen; Unterweisung; Unterricht; Politics of education; Bildungspolitik; Case study; Fallstudie; Case Study; Education; Access; Bildung; Zugang; Bildungszugang; Politikfeldanalyse; Sozialer Unterschied; Political attitude; Politische Einstellung; Ausland; Bildungsabschluss; Bildungsgut; Bildungsentwicklung; Quality of education; Bildungsqualität; Bildungsreform; Bildungsmittel; Bildungsfonds; Vergleichende Erziehungswissenschaft; College; Colleges; Attendance; Hochschule; Fachhochschule; Anwesenheit; Irland; USA
Abstract	Supporters of free college in the US often point to countries that do not charge tuition to argue for the policy. However, international examples often illustrate that free-college policies entail unintended consequences. Ireland offers a particularly apt case study on that point. In the mid-1990s, Ireland abolished tuition for full-time undergraduates to expand access to higher education and address social inequalities (although financial and political pressures have since led policymakers to increase other student fees). At first glance, free college (known in Ireland as "free fees") appears to have been successful on some measures. Enrollment rates have grown, degree completion rates have remained high, and the share of workers with a college degree has tripled such that Ireland now has one of the highest college attainment rates in the world. However, several factors discussed in this paper may explain these positive trends better than Ireland's free-fees policy does. Overall, Ireland's experience demonstrates that a country can still struggle with many higher education challenges, much like those in the US, even after implementing free college. This suggests that free college in the US may be far less effective than many of its advocates claim unless policymakers adopt additional policies to increase access and maintain quality in the higher education system. (ERIC).
Anmerkungen	American Enterprise Institute. 1150 Seventeenth Street NW, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 202-862-5800; Fax: 202-862-7177; Web site: http://www.aei.org
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01