DOWNSIDES: Making Community College ‘Free’ Will Harm Serious Students. “Community college already is dirt cheap, at $46 a credit. Making it free will only assure that people who aren’t particularly serious about getting an education will take up space in sought-after classes, thus making it tougher for others to get into their preferred classes. This sounds harsh, but people unwilling to invest $1,100 a year in their own education perhaps ought to find something else to do. There is nothing like spending one’s own money to force people to take the coursework seriously.”