The main reason for attending a university is to have a better life. It is believed that most university graduates have better-paying jobs than less well educated people. Since this is the case, many propose that students attending universities should shoulder all their educational expenses. I totally disagree with letting students bear the full cost of their education.
First of all, not all university students can pay their full tuition upfront. Letting students pay all the expenses will deprive people with low socio-economic status the access to education. This will just worsen their condition and they will not be able to improve their lives. If they will not be given scholarships or sponsorships, they might graduate with a huge debt that they have to pay for a long time. They may earn a lot but because they still have debts, their salary will not really mean much. They might just have enough to meet their daily needs but not enough to improve their standard of living.
In addition, the salary of graduates does not really depend on whether they are graduates or not. There are undergraduates or high school graduates that are earning more than university graduates. We all know that there are certain jobs that do not offer a high salary. Engineers and doctors are the common professions that really earn a lot and not everyone would like to take that degree. Art-related courses do not really offer high salary there are some students who wants to take these courses. It would be unfair to them if they have pay all the educational costs because of the perception that graduates earn more than those who did not finish a degree.
It is true that students can have part-time jobs while studying but this is not enough to cover the expenses in a university. Admittedly, tertiary education costs an arm and a leg not, especially for parents. This will cause too much burden for them and once they can no longer pay for their tuition, they will likely drop out of school. Therefore, the jobs they can get will just be the menial ones.
If university students are all from the wealthy families, this will not be an issue because expenses do not really bother them. However, this is not the case. Universities are like a melting point of different cultures and social status. There are still more students who came from average to low-income families. Wealthy students mostly go abroad to pursue their education. So, it is not beneficial to universities if they make their students shoulder everything.
Based on the reasons mentioned, universities should offer scholarships for those who need it and the government can subsidize educational expenses among students who are financially incapable. This way, education will be accessible to everyone.