--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Despite the evidence that we already have…" description: "\"Despite the evidence that we already have too many students in higher education, the hot new idea among the political class is to double down by pushin..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b1/charlie-sykes-9529_education_despite-the-evidence-that-we-already-hav_2060380.jpg" --- # Despite the evidence that we already have too many… ![“Despite the evidence that we already have too many students in higher education, the hot new idea among the political class is to double down by pushing for 'free college tuition.' The problem with the 'free college' idea is, however, not merely financial. It also reinforces the myth that college…” quote by Charlie Sykes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b1/charlie-sykes-9529_education_despite-the-evidence-that-we-already-hav_2060380.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b1/charlie-sykes-9529_education_despite-the-evidence-that-we-already-hav_2060380.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b1/charlie-sykes-9529_education_despite-the-evidence-that-we-already-hav_2060380.jpg) > “Despite the evidence that we already have too many students in higher education, the hot new idea among the political class is to double down by pushing for 'free college tuition.' The problem with the 'free college' idea is, however, not merely financial. It also reinforces the myth that college is appropriate or even possible for all students.” [Charlie Sykes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-sykes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The push for free college tuition ignores both financial strain and the false belief that college fits every student, perpetuating inequitable expectations. **In simple terms:** Free college is not a simple fix and it can mislead about who benefits. Key Takeaway Question policy, consider diverse pathways. Themes education policy equity economics myths Mood critical thoughtful Type analytical persuasive When to use this quote - government budgeting - student counseling - career advising - community college promotion Key Concepts public policy social stratification access to education Questions to Reflect On - How can we support students who don’t thrive in traditional college settings? - What alternatives to free tuition could better serve diverse needs? A Different Perspective Free tuition may increase enrollment without addressing quality or relevance for all. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [College tuition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/college-tuition/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Higher Ed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/higher-ed/) [Higher education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/higher-education/) ## Related quotes > [Yes, college tuition is a problem for many young Americans, but it is a problem exacerbated by government subsidies and an overwhelming demand to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-kirk/yes-college-tuition-is-a-problem-for-many-young-americans-but-it-is-a/) [Charlie Kirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-kirk/) > [They were often the first students in their family to go to college and the very idea of higher education was still foreign to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-n-castle/they-were-often-the-first-students-in-their-family-to-go-to-college/) [Michael N. Castle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-n-castle/) > [We need to incentivize states across our country to spend on higher education and ensure that we go back to allowing people to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pramila-jayapal/we-need-to-incentivize-states-across-our-country-to-spend-on-higher/) [Pramila Jayapal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pramila-jayapal/) > [Education should be a right, not a privilege. We need a revolution in the way that the United States funds higher education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/education-should-be-a-right-not-a-privilege-we-need-a-revolution-in/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [How can the United States be competitive globally if higher education is unaffordable? Germany, Austria, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Scotland and Sweden have no tuition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/how-can-the-united-states-be-competitive-globally-if-higher-education/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [Every person in this country who has the desire and ability should be able to get all the education they need regardless of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/every-person-in-this-country-who-has-the-desire-and-ability-should-be/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [Higher education isn't just a personal investment. It's a public good that pays off in a more competitive workforce and better-informed and engaged citizens.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reich/higher-education-isn-t-just-a-personal-investment-it-s-a-public-good/) [Robert Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reich/) > [Certainly, in college, I had no idea what I wanted to do, I studied art history and had a great time, but I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-ells/certainly-in-college-i-had-no-idea-what-i-wanted-to-do-i-studied-art/) [Steve Ells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-ells/) > [“A final irony has to do with the idea of political responsibility. Christians are urged to vote and become involved in politics as an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-davison-hunter/a-final-irony-has-to-do-with-the-idea-of-political-responsibility/) [James Davison Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-davison-hunter/) > [The idea of political content is irrelevant. Content is irrelevant. I always tell my students, "Never forget you're writing words! You know, word one,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-hickey/the-idea-of-political-content-is-irrelevant-content-is-irrelevant-i/) [Dave Hickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-hickey/) > [It makes me nuts, the idea that if you put a political struggle at the heart of your book, then it has to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/it-makes-me-nuts-the-idea-that-if-you-put-a-political-struggle-at-the/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [My parents are from Ghana. Until I was 17, I thought you had to go to college. I had no idea. I didn't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ato-essandoh/my-parents-are-from-ghana-until-i-was-17-i-thought-you-had-to-go-to/) [Ato Essandoh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ato-essandoh/) > [But you know, where did the Brontes go to college? Where did George Eliot go to college? Where did Thomas Paine or Thomas Jefferson…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamaica-kincaid/but-you-know-where-did-the-brontes-go-to-college-where-did-george/) [Jamaica Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamaica-kincaid/) > [In the Constitution, there is no idea of a political party. It is representatives of every constituency because it is so vibrant and varied.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prakash-raj/in-the-constitution-there-is-no-idea-of-a-political-party-it-is/) [Prakash Raj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prakash-raj/) > [ I have a difference with Senator \[Bernie\] Sanders, who promises free college, which, if you look at the fine print, depends really on governors… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-have-a-difference-with-senator-bernie-sanders-who-promises-free/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) ## More by Charlie Sykes > [Mr. Trump understands that attacking the media is the reddest of meat for his base, which has been conditioned to reject reporting from news…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-sykes/mr-trump-understands-that-attacking-the-media-is-the-reddest-of-meat/) [Charlie Sykes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-sykes/) > [Nothing annoys academics more than pointing out how little time they actually spend teaching students.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-sykes/nothing-annoys-academics-more-than-pointing-out-how-little-time-they/) [Charlie Sykes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-sykes/) > [In 2008, conservatives ridiculed the Left for its adulation of Barack Obama, only to succumb to their own cult of personality eight years later.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-sykes/in-2008-conservatives-ridiculed-the-left-for-its-adulation-of-barack/) [Charlie Sykes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-sykes/) > [It turns out that many of the Trump voters who had said they wanted to burn it all down meant it, and they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-sykes/it-turns-out-that-many-of-the-trump-voters-who-had-said-they-wanted/) [Charlie Sykes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-sykes/) > [In 2010, conservatives won big majorities in the Wisconsin State Legislature, and I openly supported many of their reforms, including changes to collective bargaining…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-sykes/in-2010-conservatives-won-big-majorities-in-the-wisconsin-state/) [Charlie Sykes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-sykes/) > [There was a time when the Republican Party could discuss possible reforms to our gun laws: Ronald Reagan himself endorsed the Brady Bill and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-sykes/there-was-a-time-when-the-republican-party-could-discuss-possible/) [Charlie Sykes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-sykes/) > [I tried to distinguish myself from the Rush Limbaughs of the world, but I also understood that there were folks on the Left who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-sykes/i-tried-to-distinguish-myself-from-the-rush-limbaughs-of-the-world/) [Charlie Sykes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-sykes/) > [Congress is a co-equal branch of government, with a long and rich history of standing up to the executive branch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-sykes/congress-is-a-co-equal-branch-of-government-with-a-long-and-rich/) [Charlie Sykes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-sykes/) > [I have a confession to make. When I was a child, I was a chronic, repeat doodler.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-sykes/i-have-a-confession-to-make-when-i-was-a-child-i-was-a-chronic-repeat/) [Charlie Sykes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-sykes/) > [Unless you have experienced it, it's difficult to describe the virulence of the Twitter storms that were unleashed on Trump skeptics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-sykes/unless-you-have-experienced-it-it-s-difficult-to-describe-the/) [Charlie Sykes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-sykes/) > [Conservatives spent an awful long time ignoring things: the birthers, the bigots, the xenophobes, the alternative-reality media. We had assumed that they were postcards…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-sykes/conservatives-spent-an-awful-long-time-ignoring-things-the-birthers/) [Charlie Sykes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-sykes/) > [There was always the paranoid strain in American politics, particularly on the Right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-sykes/there-was-always-the-paranoid-strain-in-american-politics/) [Charlie Sykes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-sykes/) > [In the modern university, no act of good teaching goes unpunished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-sykes/in-the-modern-university-no-act-of-good-teaching-goes-unpunished/) [Charlie Sykes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-sykes/) > [I have long admired Paul Ryan and thought of him as the future of the Republican Party.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-sykes/i-have-long-admired-paul-ryan-and-thought-of-him-as-the-future-of-the/) [Charlie Sykes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-sykes/) > [Across the country, universities that had abandoned in loco parentis in the 1960s because it was too oppressive and intrusive have replaced it with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-sykes/across-the-country-universities-that-had-abandoned-in-loco-parentis/) [Charlie Sykes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-sykes/) [Explore all 72 Charlie Sykes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-sykes/) ## More College tuition quotes > [Between stagnant wages and the cost of everything going up - particularly health care and college tuition - people have less money to save…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elissa-slotkin/between-stagnant-wages-and-the-cost-of-everything-going-up/) [Elissa Slotkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elissa-slotkin/) > [I want to make college tuition-free for the middle class and debt-free for everyone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-want-to-make-college-tuition-free-for-the-middle-class-and-debt/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [Before I was governor, tuition was skyrocketing, and we stopped that. We capped and then we froze college tuition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-allen/before-i-was-governor-tuition-was-skyrocketing-and-we-stopped-that-we/) [George Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-allen/) > [I’d compare college tuition to paying for a personal trainer at an athletic club. We professors play the roles of trainers, giving people access…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-pausch/i-d-compare-college-tuition-to-paying-for-a-personal-trainer-at-an/) [Randy Pausch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-pausch/) > [Higher education isn't just a personal investment. It's a public good that pays off in a more competitive workforce and better-informed and engaged citizens.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reich/higher-education-isn-t-just-a-personal-investment-it-s-a-public-good/) [Robert Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reich/) > [Yes, college tuition is a problem for many young Americans, but it is a problem exacerbated by government subsidies and an overwhelming demand to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-kirk/yes-college-tuition-is-a-problem-for-many-young-americans-but-it-is-a/) [Charlie Kirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-kirk/) > [I left school December of 1988. I was 21 at the time. And I hadn't quite finished my degree because I had done eight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-gordon/i-left-school-december-of-1988-i-was-21-at-the-time-and-i-hadn-t/) [Jon Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-gordon/) > [It's great to talk about how good things are now. But we can't sit on our laurels and expect that our time will sustain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-davis/it-s-great-to-talk-about-how-good-things-are-now-but-we-can-t-sit-on/) [Wendy Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-davis/) > [College students today are drowning in debt, and it is hurting them and hurting our economy. We must find a way to help families…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/college-students-today-are-drowning-in-debt-and-it-is-hurting-them/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [How can the United States be competitive globally if higher education is unaffordable? Germany, Austria, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Scotland and Sweden have no tuition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/how-can-the-united-states-be-competitive-globally-if-higher-education/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [We have got to make sure that every qualified American in this country who wants to go to college can go to college --…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/we-have-got-to-make-sure-that-every-qualified-american-in-this/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [I believe that if we have to pay 100 percent for our college tuition, and then we get into the workplace, and we're only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pam-grier/i-believe-that-if-we-have-to-pay-100-percent-for-our-college-tuition/) [Pam Grier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pam-grier/) > [“You left me over college tuition? Seriously? You left me broken and crying over money?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nm-facile/you-left-me-over-college-tuition-seriously-you-left-me-broken-and/) [NM Facile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nm-facile/) > [Education should be a right, not a privilege. We need a revolution in the way that the United States funds higher education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/education-should-be-a-right-not-a-privilege-we-need-a-revolution-in/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [Bernie Sanders did not wake up last night with this great idea that we should guarantee health care to all people as a right.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/bernie-sanders-did-not-wake-up-last-night-with-this-great-idea-that/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) [Browse all 26 College tuition quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/college-tuition/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Despite the evidence that we already have too many students in higher education, the hot new idea among the political class is to double down by pushing for 'free college tuition.' 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