One Utah college is making the news for offering the most affordable public university degree in the nation.

Southern Utah University (SUU) boasts an online Bachelor of General Studies degree for only $9,000.

Designed for those already in the workforce wanting to improve their career, or for those hoping to finally finish their degree, the inexpensive SUU degree could be for anyone, frankly, who wants to avoid an unrealistic price tag and years of student loan repayments.

We already know that college costs are a major issue in education policy discussions, but how to address it is the question.

More than 50% of American students have to go into debt to complete a college degree, which is no surprise to anyone looking at tuition scales at both public and private universities. The average student loan debt reached $37,500 in 2020. Currently, the total amount of outstanding student loan debt in the nation is $16 trillion.

Student loan debt is a frequent topic of discussion at the federal level. President Joe Biden, during his speech in the joint session of Congress last week, announced his proposal to offer two free years of community college and increase access to federal aid.

Furthermore, due to the coronavirus pandemic’s effect on the economy, the Biden administration extended the freeze on student loan payments through September, and U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona has suggested that the freeze may continue beyond that date.

Some Democratic lawmakers are asking for a more aggressive approach to dealing with student loan debt, including the cancellation of student loans of up to $50,000 per student.

But for years, critics of these policies have asked how the government plans to pay for free college; they have also suggested that cancellation of debt and greater access to federal aid will not only fail to address the issue of tuition costs, it may enable colleges to continue charging exorbitant prices.

Additionally, there is discussion that free college (especially two years of community college) does not address the demographics who need it most, since community college is already quite affordable – especially for those with access to Pell Grants, which are aimed at low-income students.

In the end, critics of the policies outlined by Biden’s administration say colleges need to be more innovative in how they deliver higher education, including ways to make it more affordable. SUU’s new $9,000 online bachelor’s degree shows that it’s possible.

Free college and debt cancellation – ultimately paid for by taxpayers – is the wrong approach to America’s student loan problem. Instead, we should reduce student loan debt by encouraging innovation in higher education that lowers college costs upfront.