Education is the gateway to endless opportunities. Expanding your mind on different topics and subjects can be eye opening. Education is a ticket to freedom and turning your passion into a career. The problem is the price tag attached. The door to endless opportunities is no longer wide open but suddenly near closed. Things learned are self-taught from free sources and referencing. The same chances to turning passion into a career are slimmed. This is the reality many students face after graduation because of how tough it can be to afford to further education. Luckily colleges throughout the United States are making changes.

The most recent comes from the University of Missouri. The Missouri Land Grant Compact will open doors for students in need of financial assistance.The grant will cover tuition and for students admitted to the honors college, books, room and board.Other states are jumping on board the trend as well. As of August 2017 students are able to attend Rhode Island community colleges for free. Not only needy students although there are other requirements that have to be met. Promise Scholarship which will cover tuition and other fees.Rhode Island offers the Promise Scholarship which will cover tuition and other fees. San Francisco California was the first city in the U.S. to offer college for free not based on income. New York is the first to offer free college at a four-year public university, not just community college. The Excelsior Scholarship program will cover the cost for students of low-income families. They each have other requirements but this amazing trend is spreading quickly.

With free college tuition, students will have the opportunity to explore career options or chase after their dreams. Many students stop putting forth the effort to have a career in something they're passionate about because they don't think they have a chance. Some students convince themselves that college isn't an option because of how expensive it can be. They make themselves believe that a post secondary education is meant for the wealthy and privileged. What kind of message are we sending as a society that builds up a student's confidence to even apply for a college just so they learn they won't be able to attend because of the low income their family makes. The false hope and shattering of dreams could end if there were more states and colleges who offered college free of charge.

The one thing no one has the ability to take away from you, the one thing that can open doors for you throughout life or lead you to land a career that makes you happy come with a price tag. The thought of charging students who want to learn, expand their knowledge and play important roles in society sounds bizarre. This is why so many brilliant minds are left in the dark unable to put their potential to full use.The famous saying knowledge is power holds truth. The more you know the better you can do for yourself and the further you can go in life. Post secondary education has become a money hungry business. For the sake of present and future students, I believe that free college education will help more students seek their full potential.