There are many reasons, but here are 3:
OK, that's fair, but that's not how free education actually works. I get your economic argument.
1. $18 trillion national debt. We will have to pay for it without adding to the debt. Tax increases to fund this would be a burden on everyone. It would be a bargain for those that need to send their children to college, but they would pay for it for their entire working career. To everyone else, the tax would be like paying interest only on a loan for something you never received.
We could argue all day about where the funding would come from and never come to a conclusion. I would start with the defense budget, but that is an endless debate. Virtually all if Europe does it, so someone figured it out.
2. A college degree isn't needed by everyone. Not everyone is college material. IVY Tech is losing funding because their graduation rate is abysmal. It isn't that the school is bad, they are accepting everyone, including those that are getting grants that can't do college level work. Providing funding to 100% of high school graduates is a huge waste.
Don't disagree and neither does the 'free' education system. Not everybody is eligible for university. There are many benchmarks that have to be met to achieve a college education. Those that don't qualify have other educational opportunities that meet their abilities and interests. No program accepts you if you don't prove the ability to complete it.
3. Skin in the game. I am almost as proud of the way I paid for my education as the diplomas I earned. I worked extremely hard to pay as I went. It impressed my first employer when they found out that I worked to pay for my education and still maintained a good GPA. I used the benefit of employer paid tuition to get my advanced degree. I never dropped a class. I would have thrown away my own money. My nephew qualified as a Hoosier Scholar.Because of his families income, he only needed to maintain a 2.0 at a community college and then transfer to IU, Purdue, or another state school. He is a smart kid that used his free money to waste 2 years only to flunk out and now pretends to be taking online courses. Still doesn't have enough credits to be close to even an Associates degree in his field of Psychology.
That's fine. People need all kinds of ways to be motivated. Many are just motivated by personal ambition. If you don't achieve in your choosen school school, you will not be allowed to continue. It doesn't mean you can just go if you want, you have to pass. If you fail, then you are gone.
I am all for college. It doesn't bother me that college graduates are doing jobs that don't require a college education.Getting the education allows them the potential to get a better job in the future. For those that are capable, an education is something that will help them throughout life. I would rather not see universities have to build up their facilities to house and educate a larger number of kids that won't last a year.
