The government is shelling out millions of dollars in grants to students with no expectation of repayment. Who’s paying that bill? You guessed it, the taxpayers. What’s more, those qualifying for grants are likely already receiving other forms of assistance as well.
While the government may be playing fast and loose with student loans, at least they are loans. Whether the loans are repaid becomes an issue of degree choice.
In regards to grants, it would be more responsible for the government to incorporate a student’s field of study into eligibility criteria. Throwing tens of thousands of dollars at a degree that will net an extra two dollars an hour is nonsense, especially while those who pursue more useful degrees (and will have higher income to tax later) are overlooked.
Taking grants off the table for low-paying degrees will either force students to pursue something more useful, or at the very least perform a rudimentary cost-benefit analysis since they will now have loans to repay.
