We find that online classes are devastating to GPA’s. Too many students dog them because there is no structure.
It’s one of the reasons that online schools have an abysmal graduation rate. It takes a solid commitment to finishing the classes.
I'm not suggesting that free college would or even should be good as the full-price product. I'm suggesting that if the gov't wanted free college to be offered without adding much if anything the budget, it could.
If you are one of the 3% that actually manages to earn the free degree, it should say a lot to any prospective employer. There really is no other way to offer free college to everyone. I'm eligible for Social Security, and I'd stop working and go for free bricks-mortar-beer college even now! College was mostly wasted on me when I was a teenager.