Since the late 1970’s, college tuition has been on the rise, making families from various financial situations stressed out over the cost of the college their child wants to go to.
Just in this past decade, there has been a rise in free in free colleges, with community colleges offering scholar ships that covers tuition, therefore making college more affordable for students unable to afford going into higher education.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average cost of going to a 4-year college or university in the State of Florida sits at $17,520.83. That cost along with room and board would make any low-income family unable to afford sending their child to a college or university in Florida. That is why there are colleges in Florida such as Miami Dade College that tackled head-on with this issue by creating the American Dream Scholarship.
The American Dream Scholarship was offered in 2010 for students in the Miami Dade county that are unable to attend college because of various financial situations.Prior to this scholarship, the college first offered free tuition to anybody that was accepted to the Honors College. This scholarship gives more students in the Miami-Dade county a chance to be able to go to college without worrying about the tuition. Eligibility for this scholarship is simple and concise: “students must have a 3.0 GPA, complete the FAFSA, must be going into college, have a high school diploma, meet the minimum score for standardized tests, reside in the Miami Dade county.(www.ciecambridge.org/ourpages/auto/2016/3/2/48628956/COLLEGE%20SCHOLARSHIPS.docx )”
President of Miami Dade College Eduardo Padron strongly advocates for “expanding college opportunities for low-income, minority, and immigrant youth.(http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/education/article5750811.html )” In regards to the school atmosphere, Padron said in an 2016 interview with the Miami Herald, “This is the place that opens the doors and gave me self-esteem and self-confidence…In this community, this is a college that has touched almost everyone.”
Since becoming president of the college in 1995, he has dedicated his life to giving people in the Miami-Dade community an opportunity to be able to attain a college education.
High School students are also noting the upward trend of free tuition. Eric Rodriguez, a high school sophomore from Orlando, FL, said that “students should have the right to a free education.”
Miami Dade College is not the only school that is offering free tuition to high school students. In fact, there are colleges in Florida that are doing the same such as Broward Community College.
But Miami Dade College is unique because of the fact that it has been advocating for free education since 2002, and with this scholarship, it is giving high school students a chance to go to college tuition-free that they would not have been able to receive.