Education is crucial if one were to be successful in life. In modern day, a person without a college degree would have a difficult time to sustain a living. On the contrary, those who are able to attend college and have graduated are also struggling to pay their student loans. Students who try to further their education have had this issue for ongoing years. Not only does a student try to acquire as much knowledge as one can, but it is not a guarantee that once a student graduates from college, that he or she will have an occupation. This all factors into how it has become strenuous for students to pay their student loans when tuition fees are excessive instead of being affordable for each student. Therefore, student loans should be …show more content…
The Student Loan Act of 2012 is a recognition that millions of Americans have grossly overpaid for their education due to governmental interference in the marketplace (Barnet and Bedau, 2014). Education should be a birth given right instead of a commodity the government uses to extract money from (Barnet and Bedau, 2014). Instead of considering student loans as an exception it is seen as a norm. The average amount acquired by an undergraduate student in 2012 was $25,900 according to data from the National Center for Education Statistics (Johnston and Roten, 2015).
The federal student loan program is designed to correct market failures that cause students to invest exceptionally less in their education because of either capital market imperfections or external benefits from education (Miles and Zimmerman, 1997). The capital market failure occurs because students are unable to obtain loans by committing future earnings as collateral. The high cost or lack of other financing causes students to invest less in their education than would be profitable for the student, furthermore it would be less socially desired (Miles and Zimmerman, 1997). The “external benefit failure” goes to proves that students do not efficiently value the benefits their education provides to society. Students can’t obtain the entire benefit for themselves in higher wages which cause them to invest less than the socially desirable amount (Miles and Zimmerman, 1997). Thus, they will
Matt Taibbi argues in his Rolling Stone article titled “Ripping Off America: The College-Loan Scandal” that the government is the primary source to blame for today’s appalling inflation rates on increasing student debt. Additionally, he argues that the reason the tuition is so exploitative and unfair, is because it was created to benefit two groups. The first being, “…colleges and universities, and the contractors who build their extravagant athletic complexes, hotel-like dormitories and God knows what other campus embellishments” (Taibbi). Next up, the other group that gains from the current system is the government. This is because, “…the government actually stands to make an enormous profit on the president 's new federal student-loan system, an estimated $184 billion over 10 years” (Taibbi). Further, Taibbi goes onto to state that students often have no idea what they are signing up for with student loans, because not all students have access to the same information. Finally, Taibbi mentioned that “because of the poor job market, young people may have less of a chance than ever to actually get a good job commensurate with their education” (Taibbi). This means that with no degree, students have no chance, but with a degree you are forced down a road of high risk, and at the end you are likely to be left with a ton of debt.
An estimated 20 million Americans attend college each year, and 60% of those students borrow annually to pay for it (qtd. in asa.org, “Student Loan Debt Statistics”). Moreover, citizens continuing to pay off debt after schooling brings the overall number of student-loan-borrowers to about 40 million- with a collective 1 trillion dollars in debt (McCarthy, “10 Fun Facts About the Student Debt Crisis); a fourth of these borrowers owe over $28,000, a tenth owe over $54,000, 3.1% owe more than $100,000, “and 0.45 percent of borrowers, or 167,000 people, owe more than $200,000” (Haughwout, “Grading Student Loans”). While some view this predicament as the result of laziness or carelessness, the bulk of this substantial group are not at fault.
“Ensuring quality higher education is one of the most important things we can do for our future generations” (Ron Lewis). There are more students enrolling in post-secondary schools than ever before and consequently there are more students acquiring large debts. Once a student graduates, they enter a $33,000 or more student loan debt (Students Loan Resources). These student loans continue to place graduates into large debts, which is largely caused by their lack of knowledge of available resources, and this impacts their everyday lives and future generations.
After reading about the historic court case of Robert Murphy, an unemployed 65-year-old man fighting to have over $200,000 in student loan debt dismissed through bankruptcy, I began to think “Have I been lied to about my investment in a college education”? Well, the answer is yes; we have all been lied to! Student loan debt is an invisible phantom that follows millions of Americans through their lives. We are told, however, that this invaluable investment is well worth the risk of living in financial destitution for the rest our lives. The truth is it creates even more hardships on Americans in the form of debt. I and millions of others are tired of the lies! If college is going to continuously be America’s golden standard for economic advancement, our next leader needs to fix the affordability of the higher education system and the debt that burdens Americans once and for all.
With the 2016 presidential election looming in the near future, the subject of student loan debt has become a major issue on the campaign trail. The national amount of student loan debt is 1.08 trillion dollars, with 11.5% of that amount in default or in 90+ day delinquent. To put that in perspective, total consumer debt at the end of 2013 was 11.52 trillion .(Forbes, 2014) According to an in class poll, only 7 students out of 169 students were completely confident in their knowledge of student loans. However, if we had lower tuition and expenses students wouldn’t have to take a loan out in the first place.
In recent decades, student loan debt has increased dramatically causing a so-called, “education bubble”. This ‘education bubble’ is essentially the ‘housing bubble’ within higher education. The Federal Government, like those in the housing market crash in 2008, are lending money to those who receive a low income and can not afford college. According to The Weekly Standard, “the Federal Reserve Bank of New York reports that during the past decade, student loan debt has nearly tripled and the number of students with debt has risen by 70 percent” (Cochrane). The Federal Government needs to decrease the amount of loans they are giving out in order to prevent another crash within our economy. As a senior in high school who will not be receiving
In the U.S. students are encouraged to earn a college degree, but the cost of an education turns many away. “Driven by the allure of a decent salary with a college degree, Americans borrowed to go to school. Outstanding student debt doubled from 2005 to 2010, and by 2012 total student debt in the U.S. economy surpassed $1 trillion” (Mian, Sufi 167). There are plenty of opportunities to obtain funds for college, including one of the most common, student loans. A student loan is defined as “a common way to fund education, specifically college and graduate school, and they provide educational opportunities that you otherwise may not be able to afford” (Barr). Student debt is at an all-time high in America. Over half of all lower income
An education is one of the most important tools a person can acquire. It gives them the skills and abilities to obtain a job, earn a wage, and then use that wage to better their lives and the lives of their loved ones. However, due to the seemingly exponential increase in the costs of obtaining a college degree, students are either being driven away entirely from earning a degree or taking out student loans which cripple their financial prospects well after graduation. Without question, the increasing national student loan debt is one of the most pressing economic issues the United States is dealing with, as students who are debt ridden are not able to consume and invest in the economy. Therefore, many politicians and students are calling
In the United States today, the number of students graduating college with student loan debt is quite astonishing. In the article titled, “How the $1.2 Trillion College Debt Crisis Is Crippling Students, Parents And The Economy”, we will examine and break down the student loan debt crisis by the numbers. Today, almost two-third’s of students graduating college are graduating with an average of $26,000 in debt. For most students, $26,000 is a lot of money when the average annual income for a first year graduate is only in the mid $40,000 a year range. According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, student loan debt has reached a new milestone, crossing the $1.2 trillion mark (Denhart, 2013, Introduction, par. 2). With student loan debt levels
It is no big secret that, in America today, most high-paying jobs require a college degree. Thomas C. Frohlich of USA Today stated that “graduating from college is a prerequisite for the vast majority of high-paying jobs”(2013). With the cost of a college degree increasing in unison with demand, few can earn a degree without the help of student loans. The American Student Assistance website reports that of the twenty million students enrolled in college, about sixty percent are attending with the help of student loans (2014). Obviously, student loan debt affects the individuals that obtain them. However, it also has severe effects upon the nation’s economy.
In 1976, the average cost to attend a four year public university was $2,175; today, the average cost to attend a four year public university is $25,000 (Snyder). This means it is 1150% more expensive to go to college in The United States today than it was 30 years ago. This obviously would create a problem on how we as people are going to pay for our higher education. Today college has become almost a necessity to have a satisfactory life, and with these rising prices some individuals believe student loans are the only option. There are many reasons as to why the prices have risen, but the one undeniable fact is that this has created a problem within our country. Which, is known as the student debt crisis, and it has been on the rise the past couple years. This problem is affecting people all around the United States, and is causing multitude of problems for them all because they wanted to pursue higher education. Wanting to better your opportunities by bettering yourself is not something that needs to be punished, and sadly that is what is happening. This problem is something that needs to be fixed for the sake of Americans and our economy, but will also take time and a multitude of steps to correct.
With the ever-increasing tuition and ever-tighten federal student aid, the number of students relying on student loan to fund a college education hits a historical peak. According to a survey conducted by an independent and nonprofit organization, two-thirds of college seniors graduated with loans in 2010, and each of them carried an average of $25,250 in debt. (Reed et. al., par. 2). My research question will focus on the profound effect of education debt on American college graduates’ lives, and my thesis statement will concentrate on the view that the education policymakers should improve financial aid programs and minimize the risks and adverse consequences of student loan borrowing.
Education and school, these both word always has been the main priorities for all of us. Pursuing the American dream of graduating college can be the best feel ever but it can also cost a price. College tuition is increasing more and more every year due to the fact of the rising economy. With student want to be successful in life they will need an education to a degree, which will land you a decent job in life. The problem is when the cost of gaining that degree outweighs the financial advantage to the career. Many of people are not able to pay for college out of their pocket. The result of this is that students seeking higher education are forced to take out an enormous amount of student loans. College tuition is on the rise, and a lot of students have difficulty paying for their tuitions. To pay for their tuitions, most students have to take out loans and at the end of four years, those students end up in debt. Student loan debts are at an all-time high with so many people graduating from college and having difficulties finding jobs in their career fields. So they have difficulties paying off their student loans and, they also don’t have a full understanding of the term of the loans and their options if they are unable to repay.This means that they are entering the workforce after college already thousands of dollars in debt and under water. I believe that students who borrow money from our government should not pay for their student loans.
American youth have more pressure to get a good education than ever before, but at what price? The cost of education is at an all time high and rising every year. Many Americans are struggling with a large amount of student loan debt weather they graduated with a degree or not. The only way to secure the future of students today is to invest in the students themselves rather than investing their money into the corporate market. By preparing students for higher education and providing financial resources students will have the knowledge to deal with student loans and the debt they may be accruing while in school.
In 2016, an accumulation of almost 1.4 trillion dollars of student loan debt was outstanding in America (Kess). Students from all over the nation, and the world for that matter, are going to higher education without the financial ability to do so. One of the few options for financial aid available to these prospective college students is to take out student loans to pay for the high tuition of most universities and colleges. While these loans are a modality for attending higher education, they often come with strings. Along with being several thousand dollars in debt, interest also accumulates into the total amount of the owed financial total. Until these loans are repaid the interest keep accumulating and the debt grows. With debt still affecting students negatively well after they finish their higher education, the price of college tuition should be abated.