The High Price of Higher Education In America's society today, students are expected to follow the path of day care, grade school, middle school, high school and hopefully college. Growing up in America today, the importance of education is stressed starting at the earliest stages of development. In a world with a competitive job market and with citizens who want to make the most money that they can, a college education is key in success. For some students, financing college is not a problem. Money should not be a factor in the student's decision-making process when choosing what school to attend, but unfortunately many people are unable to attend the university of their choice due to the high costs. Working through college is not …show more content…
If this is the case then there should be documentation of these increases but, "academic institutions have made little effort either on or off campus to make themselves transparent to explain their finances," (Tuition Rising). There is no documentation that describes what every penny of tuition pays for. It is only stated that it goes toward "administrative costs, faculty salaries, technology, Federal regulation, endowment, State appropriations," (Tuition Rising). But why are the costs rising? Patrick M. Callan, president of the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, states that "there's not much going on in either private or public higher education that is very serious about cost control," (Tuition Rising). He believes that "Underlying all this is that more kids are graduating from high school every year, most of them want to go to college, and so it's a seller's market. Universities raise tuition because they can,"(Tuition Rising). This makes us wonder if universities are tricking us of our money since they have not documented where tuition is going. In order to avoid confusion from students and parents who want answers, the government should require institutions to have documentation of what tuition is funding.
Financial aid is a popular choice for students to fund their college education, which presently costs an average of "$15,566 for an undergraduate student
College is becoming increasingly expensive, ranging from 60,000 dollars to around 10,000 dollars. In the United states, 75% of people feel that “college is too expensive”(Source F). But to what extent should money rule an individual's life? The same survey also reported that 86% of people feel as though “college has been a good investment for them personally.” (Source F) This statistic proves that money should not control the life of an individual because although college is expensive a vast majority of people enjoy it. A college education not only prepares someone for a career in the future, but allows academic experimentation, higher pay as an adult and teaches students skills that young adults with only a high school degree may lack.
Over the past decade, it has become evident to the students of the United States that in order to attain a well paying job they must seek a higher education. The higher education, usually a college or university, is practically required in order to succeed. To be able to attend these schools and receive a degree in a specific field it means money, and often a lot of it. For students, the need for a degree is strong, but the cost of going to college may stand in the way of a successful future. Each year the expense of college rises, resulting in the need for students to take out loans. Many students expect to immediately get a job after graduation, however, in more recent years the chances for college graduates to get a well paying job
Rise in tuition is often seen as a school trying to gauge as much as money as they can from the students. A view most forgotten in this argument is that of the school. The school has to have money to feed the students and house the students plus teach them. Those three things are a necessity for the students. Schools would face lawsuit after lawsuit if they failed to feed the students. The school also has to pay its employees and hire new ones that leave.
College graduates can pull in higher paying employers, therefore the states can benefit by earning money off of these employers. Some children’s families cannot manage to help pay for the fees, housing, meals, books, supplies, and personal/transportation expenses, even with the pell grants and other scholarships being offered to them. Sixty percent of college students stress about not having enough money to pay for school, the other percentage are worried about not having enough to pay their monthly expenses on top of school (“College”). This in return may put a burden on society from becoming booming with well advanced and bold civilians due to the lack of interaction with college level wisdom. Student’s should all have a chance at further promoting their lives to flourish at what they believe they want to become, without having to deal with the later emotional struggles of money. Although graduates may pull in higher paying employers, the
Over the same period, in state tuition and fees at public four-year institutions increased more than two hundred and twenty percent from $2,175 to $7,030. ( Marcus, J). This suggests that less money is being spent on students education and more is spent on non instructional activities, such as administration and faculty research. Rising government bursary have increased the quantity of education request. This means that the rising cost of a college education is due in large part to the increased financial aid available rather than any general improvement in the value of
Many students have aspirations about attending the college of their dreams, but many people lack financial support and are not able to go because of high tuition payments, such as housing, and other college expenses. U.S. Student Loans Debt Statistics for 2017 indicate that “the cost of attending college is becoming a growing burden for a huge portion of Americans.” (Student Loan Hero). Students are left with the option of dropping and leaving school. Even after receiving some financial support, such as scholarships and grants, students have limited amount of money to pay off their expenses. At the start of their college career, students apply for the colleges they would like to go to, and many forget about the financial decision that is required to pay for college. “A 2010 study on more than 200,000 freshmen at four-year colleges, more students rated themselves as below average in emotional health than ever before. The financial stress of worrying about their college loans and whether they’ll find a job after college and the day to day stress of making decisions for themselves in all aspects of their lives.” (Allianz). Unfortunately, freshman students are the main group of college students that go through financial conflicts, leading to stress about how to pay for college. Some students choose to work their way through college. “Others decide they’d rather be making money working full time than pursuing a costly degree. Still others become discouraged at the prospect of incurring loan debt” (College View). According to Public Agenda, “Work is the top reason young adults give for not returning to college once they leave. More than a third (36 percent) of those who left school say that even if they had a grant that fully paid for tuition
According to MyBudget360, college tuition has skyrocketed over four hundred percent since 1984. Now, the average tuition rate for private universities in America is over $31,000 and over $9,000 for public universities. Not only that, but thirty-seven million Americans have outstanding student debt and thirty-seven percent of college students look for a job requiring no higher than a high school diploma AFTER they graduate. Tuition has tripled, graduates have outstanding student debt, and in addition to that, graduates look for menial jobs where even a high school diploma is not necessary. College expenses definitely adversely affect students and graduates in the long run.
There are many factors that contribute to student loan debt some of which are, increase in tuition, out of state fees and private colleges. In fact, the cost of education always rises faster than inflation. The cost of operating a college is getting higher and at the same time, governments are contributing less money. State support for public colleges and universities has fallen by about 26 percent per full-time student in the last 20 years. (Luzer) For the 2011-12 academic year, average tuition and fees range from $2,963 per year at public two-year colleges and $6,604 at public bachelor’s colleges, to $35,195 at private doctoral universities. In 2015-16 the cost of a four-year private school was $32,405, and $43,921 if you add on fee, room and board. (Tuition and Fee) The cost of tuition will inevitably raise due
According to a recent report by NPR the college board found, “the average tuition and fees at public four-year colleges and universities increased by 27 percent beyond the rate of inflation over five years”(Geewax, 2014). This information proves that paying for college has just gotten more and more difficult with the raising price. In a recent study CNBC found that, “tuition has been rising by about 6% annually, according to investment management company Vanguard… in 18 years a year of higher education at a private school — including tuition, fees, and room and board — will cost more than $120,000” (Wong, 2017). Out of context 6% annually may not seem like a lot, but that's means that college is one twentieth more expensive than the last year. This is why this could take a huge toll on some families and students.
In this unimaginable generation, we face many challenges to survive, but one challenge that is prevalent is student college debt intertwined with the expensive economy. The idea that a better and furthered education will bring you more success is why millions even make college loans an option. It is believed, that the two elements of education and employment coincide with one another. The idea of being employed is a necessity in modern day. There is a focus on getting an education to determine your success. Although attending school is appreciable, it also comes with its issues that make college appear as a trap; incognito in a sense. Dragging everyone down slowly like a leaf in quicksand. Young adults struggle with college debt, and financial barriers; by avoiding the economy’s false luxuries can prevent the occurrence of running into economic barricades.
Today, college is not an option in some homes. When applying to college it can be very stressful, especially when thinking about how much money it is going to cost someone each year that they are trying to earn a degree. Most college students go to school not because they want to spend money, but because they must earn their education to make it somewhere with a career. For example, imagine that a new graduate with a bachelor’s degree in construction management applies for a construction job and is competing against another applicant who only has some work experience
Studies suggest that fifty percent or more of new jobs that will appear in the upcoming decades will require their employees to have a postsecondary education (America’s Promise). However, the rising price of a college education is preventing many students from achieving their goal. This only adds to the number of unemployed young adults and the number of Americans living in property. People always say if you’re tired of being poor then do something about it but it is not as simple as it used to be. In the past thirty years the cost of getting a college degree has increase by 1,120 percent (Mosbergn). Not only that, but if you do manage to get a degree after you graduate you are often left paying off student loan debt. As of 2013, the amount of student loan debt to be paid off has surpassed one trillion dollars. Another reason why many student opt out of going to college is because they believe it is a waste of time. While that may not be the case for all students a recent poll showed that forty percent of college graduates are unemployed and left struggling to pay off a student loan alone with no job
There is no better way to explain the increase in the cost of tuition other than raw numbers and data. According to the College Board, “The average published tuition and fee price for students enrolled full time at public nonprofit four-year colleges and universities increased by $1,100 (3.7%) between 2013-14 and 2014-15.” This source also states that the average cost of tuition across the country was 8,893 dollars last year. This does not include room and board. A decent place to stay, food and books also add on quickly to the expenses. All and all, according to the College Board, “The total price of college rose 6% just last year.” Although six percent does not seem like a lot at first glance, over the time of a 4-year degree this could equate to over 10,000 dollars. This is the most common reason that high school students don’t attend a higher education, according to a study by Hartwick College.
One year at the prestigious Yale University will cost an average of $38,300 (collegeboard.com). Many students who deserve to go to this school may miss out because of the cost and lack of financial aid. The rising cost of college may put higher education out of reach for the average American. This paper will look into the reasons behind the steady rise in prices, the legitimacy of a college education, and why recent graduates are struggling to find jobs in this tough economy.
The rising costs of formal education has become a real and concerning issue for most Americans. Whitehouse.gov states, the average income of families has remained roughly the same in the last three decades. In that time the tuition rates have more than tripled. This leaves families struggling to get their kids through school. According to Forbs, universities and colleges have been raising their tuition fees by 2 to 5% each year. Forbs also found that in public schools while students are paying more for their education, the college or university is spending less money on the student’s education. Forbs explains that the 2008 recession is largely to blame. On the contrary, that was 6 years ago and public schools are still spending less money on student’s education but charging the student more for it. This means that the tuition students are paying is not being