During the campaign for the presidency in the 2020 election, several Democrat candidates expressed an interest in taking actions that will have a strong impact on higher education, such as making it free for many students at public institutions. According to a study released in January 2021 that was commissioned by the Campaign for Free College, it is estimated that if a plan supported by President Biden ever becomes law, enrollment at four-year private institutions over “several years” would be reduced by 12.3%. During the same period, enrollment at four-year public institutions would increase by 17.7%. Unfortunately, not all institutions in the private sector would be able to withstand a shift of this magnitude and it is anticipated that some of them would be forced to close their doors permanently.

Public institutions also experience some unique problems of their own, such as a steady decline over the period of many years in obtaining financial support from state governments. A related concern is that by increasing enrollment at these schools, it is highly likely that additional resources will be required to accommodate the growth in student numbers. The Biden plan does not take that possibility into account while based on recent history, it seems unlikely that support from state governments will be available to reduce the added cost burden. Related policy developments entail the provision of health insurance coverage for state residents who lack it. Medicaid programs, which are funded jointly by the federal government and the states, already exert a heavy toll on finances in many states. As some jurisdictions around the U.S. struggle in their efforts to cope with ever rising health care expenditures, their ability to support the higher education sphere is lessened concomitantly.

Forgiveness Of Student Debt

A related higher education policy issue is to forgive some portion of student debt incurred by individuals who found it necessary to borrow money to meet costs associated with attending colleges and universities. Similar to supporting free education at public institutions, Democrat candidates during the 2020 campaign for the presidency were in favor of reducing the $1.6 trillion in student debt that currently exists. Most of that amount was made by the Treasury Department and is held by the U.S. government. A portion of the total represents loans that originally were made by private lenders and guaranteed by the federal government. President Biden is in favor of forgiving both kinds of loans and has indicated that he is in favor of doing so in a manner that would be covered by federal taxpayers.

Assuming such a policy is enacted, it is reasonable to ask in the name of equity which groups should be the chosen beneficiaries. One segment consists of post-baccalaureate students who in pursuit of higher degrees awarded by prestigious business schools, law schools, and medical schools assume mountains of educational debt. The other side of the coin is that upon completion of their studies, they tend to be in a favorable position to earn highly satisfactory levels of income during their subsequent professional careers. Should their debt-oriented financial plight be viewed with the same degree of concern as students who are less fortunate? For example, proposed forms of debt absolution, such as writing off as much as $50,000 per student, will not be as beneficial for large numbers of individuals who decided not to attend college or who instead chose to work either before or during their college years to offset educational costs.

Vaccinating College Students

It is not all that uncommon to see photographs of students attending crowded social events while not wearing masks. Not generally perceived as a group that will suffer the worst effects of the coronavirus if they become infected, a bigger concern is the potential they have to be part of the super spreader portion of the community. Now that more colleges and universities have reopened their campuses, institutions such as the University of California, Berkeley; University of Massachusetts at Amherst; and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have found it advisable to impose lockdowns in residence halls and encourage students to avoid travel. A related issue is the possibility of ensuring that students are vaccinated prior to leaving campus at semester’s end to prevent them from spreading the disease to older individuals.

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