Financial And Bureaucratic Growth Of The United States

While this is often true, it can create problems when a student does not have the money to pay for a quality education. The cost of college has risen an estimated 250-500% over the last 30 years while consumer price index has only increased by 115 percent during the same time frame (White, 2015; Eskow, 2014). The amount of student loan debt is increasing, along with the cost of college. The income of many young people today cannot keep up with the rising costs of college education and housing. Part of the problem with student loan debt begins when students choose to attend a college that exceeds their financial resources and rely on federal student loans as well as private student loans to make up the difference. Eskow found that even public colleges and universities are becoming difficult to pay for without taking out student loans often averaging $30,000 for tuition, room, and board (2014). Since many people do not have enough money to cover college education expenses, they rely on student loans, both federal and private, to fill the gap. Financial advisor Ramsey stated that often the loans students take out pay “for an off-campus standard of living, and no debt was needed to get the degree” (2013). “The Project on Student Debt reported in 2013 over ⅔ graduating seniors were leaving school with student loans” averaging approximately $28,400 (White, 2015). Taking on almost $30,000 in debt before even starting a career can have a significant impact. It can force people to get a job just to pay off the student loans, not based on what they got an education for prepared for or what they studied. This also can cause a setback in future plans, having to delay many adult milestones due to lack of

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

College debt is quickly rising as more students pursue a postsecondary education. Tuition is growing at a rate higher than inflation, thus forcing many students to make up the gap between income and tuition through loans (Houle). However, cultural factors must be considered before a young adult makes a decision about higher education. The type of postsecondary education one pursues, if any, is determined by many circumstances including socioeconomic status, race, and family background. Therefore these same factors impact the amount of student loan debt one acquires. At a global standpoint, the United States is among the nations with the highest amount of college debt with more than 1.2 trillion dollars in outstanding student loan debt according to CNBC, Consumer News and Business Channel (Holland). Although the amount of student debt in each country varies, similar cultural factors impact all students.

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.

The United States needs to look to other nations that have figured out the necessity of higher education to be at an affordable cost if not free. In 2015, college graduates are facing on average just north of $35,000 in student debt (Berman). In part, the government has reduced the federal funding that each college receives each year. Therefore, colleges have constantly raised the

Here in the United States, there are many forms of consumer debt, which help contribute to the large sums of debt countless Americans find themselves faced with. Directly effecting many college students is student loan debt. Student loan debt is now the second largest form of consumer debt behind housing” declares the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (Grisales). This is due to the fact that student loan debt grew 7.1% in 2014 to $1.2 trillion (Grisales). If this statistic alone is not worrisome this next one is sure to be. The amount of debt in the housing market that helped to spark the last recession was only $1.3 trillion (Grisales). Due to the increased amount of debt required by students to attend college many students are feeling the wrath. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, “In 2014, 11.7 percent of females and 17.7 percent of males between the ages 25 and 34 were living with their parents” (Grisales). The fear of obtaining massive amounts of debt is driving the current generation of student’s to put off many future hopes and dreams. While causing them to move back home to save money. The current student loan crisis is crippling the economy and ruining the lives of American students.

As the demand for workers with college degrees increases the pile of debt students may graduate with gets bigger and bigger. This problem is America’s next sizeable financial crisis, but this crisis however is avoidable. Student loan debt is a financial bubble waiting to blow up just as the housing market collapse did in 2007, which the country is only just now starting to see signs of recovery from. The cost of a four-year degree has seen increases that surpass inflation and health care costs. Likewise, the amount of student loan debt is now greater than both auto loans and credit card debt. So, the question most frequently asked is, how has this happened?

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

Families are now aiming low when it comes to college- or are simply not going at all. Money could play a huge part in this decision- after all, the cost of college has skyrocketed over the years, and so has the amount of student loan debt. This is something even Leonhardt admits, stating that, because of this, only about 33 percent of young adults get a four-year college degree today, while another 10 percent receive a two-year degree (Leonhardt). And even though many colleges offer financial aid packages, that money may soon be cut and the cost of college will continue to grow. It is true that, in my personal experience, just because a student is awarded financial aid does not mean they have a golden ticket to University. This leaves many desperate students the only option of taking out as many loans as they think they can handle- often more than they should. Debt is not a new issue for America, but it is still a problem. Although David Autor, an M.I.T. economist, laments: “not sending [young adults] to college would be a disaster”, no one can ignore the rising rates of loan defaults, and some think it

Research has uncovered that debt aversion has been a steady factor amongst those who chose not to carry on to post-secondary education. 70 percent of high school graduates claim that fears of current and future financial standings spiraling out of control was a main factor for not pursuing a higher education, one in four people stated that accumulation of debt was the main barrier. Studies show that students from marginalized communities, low-income backgrounds, and single parents are more likely to have negative feelings along with being strongly hesitant toward acquiring student debt. (Students,

For student debtors, debt-to-income ratios have increased even though the ratio has declined for young households since 2005. The debt that is acquired by the majority of underprivileged students who seek out higher education has now become equivalent to two years of income from a starting job out of college. Student debt however does not stand alone in the damaging of student lives during and after college. Most households with college debt struggle to pay back other major types of debt like credit card debt if acquired, car loans, and some even pay mortgages. With all of these debts to pay off some students have stated that their college education was not worth it, and has not paid

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

The average college student acquires over $29,000 in educational debt. The debt of American college students has been steadily on the rise. Tuition has been increasing while the average American families’ income has been decreasing. Some students qualify for federal grants; however, the majority of money used to pay for college is debt that has been borrowed from private lenders. Students who qualify for federal grants must still depend on private lenders to fund their education. “Seven in ten seniors graduated with student loan debt, and a fifth of that debt was owed to private lenders, which often charge higher interest rates.” (CNNMoney) Most students enroll in college to better their lives, provide a more stable environment for their

In other words, higher education is valuable but expensive. Most would agree that higher education encourages ingenuity and critical thinking—attributes which are valuable in any profession. Though people like to cite Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg as not finishing college but finding once-in-a-lifetime success, the rule remains that those individuals are the exception, not the rule. Having a college degree makes attaining a higher paying job possible. Clearly higher education pays off, but there are some people who do not have enough money to pay for college. Only thirty percent of Americans have earned a college degree. This number does not seem staggering, but when compared with college tuition debt to credit card debt, the results are stark. In general, Americans have more college tuition debt than credit card debt (State of the Union). When considering an average college graduate and his or her consumer/credit debt, it is easy to see why the student loan burden is one that students find increasingly difficult to confront. This is worsened by the current state of the economy, where educated men and women have difficulties finding jobs because of the market. As a result, they are straddled with student loan debt. This debt, coupled with consumer debt and dim job prospects, are a burden which can easily become overwhelming for the average 22 year old (Federal Student Aid).

The price of studying at a university or college is big enough to make the majority of the middle-class families take a loan in the bank. They feverently hope that their child will find a good work after the graduation. According to the information given in the article “Getting More Bang for the Buck in Higher Education,” “Students are already borrowing about $113 billion a year, more than twice as much as a decade ago, and student debt now tops $1 trillion. The federal government accounts for nearly 90 percent of all student loans and the Congressional Budget Office estimates that students will take out $1.4 trillion in new federal loans over the next decade”. (D’Andrea )