Is College Too Expensive?

College tuition, something that everyone worries about and works tirelessly to save their entire lives for. What would happen if college tuition disappeared and college was suddenly free? In this rhetorical analysis, I will be analyzing two different articles on if college should be free. While both of these articles use logos and politics to prove their statements and force their arguments to be stronger, the first argument explains that college should be free for everyone and the other disagrees and discusses why college tuition should stay as is. It also gives more strength and credibility to the author’s and articles.

Thesis: Thousands of colleges across the country have steadily increased tuition throughout the years and Colorado State University is no different. Today I will share with you both the perspective of those that believe tuition increases are necessary and of those against it in order to help form my own opinion on the necessity of tuition increases here at CSU.

A lot of people will argue, that college is too expensive. Not everyone can go to college, for financial reasons. Also, they may get into college, but end up having to leave because they cannot afford the remaining balances; or, they received financial aid, but end up having to take out loans they are going to be paying back forever. It is like once they graduate they will be working mostly to pay off their student loan debt. This also discourages some students. In some cases, they will not even take the initiative to try because it is so costly. I do not understand why it cost so much to want to better yourself, and possibly put us in debt for the rest of our life just to receive a higher education. Not only has the cost of college risen over a period of time, but it continues to go up. Yes, they have alternatives for paying student debts, but what if you do not qualify? Lastly, you are not guaranteed a job just because you graduate and have a college degree(s).

Higher education has been known by many Americans as a luxury for only those who can afford it if not being forever in debt with student loans. The price of higher education has been in debate for many years but it still has not ceased to come into an agreement. Should higher education lower its price or is it worth paying for it? As Andrew Hacker and Claudia Dreifus argue in their article “Are Colleges Worth the Price of Admission?” there are colleges worth mentioning about how successful their financial management has been correlated with their students success. The issue has also come into attention for Sanford J. Ungar, as he explains in his article “The New Liberal Arts,” although liberal arts education may be have its misconceptions, it does pay for its price. Hence, higher education (whether from a regular university or a liberal arts college) is worth the price, as it prepares individuals for the real world more than any other kind of education, it is an unique time were students are allowed to explore and put their abilities into test and it is the opportunity for many to overcome the many obstacles life has to offer.

The U.S. is home to some of the greatest colleges and universities in the world. But with an overwhelming 1.3 million students graduating with an average student loan debt of $29,000 each and with youth unemployment elevated, the question of whether or not college tuition is worth the money arises (The Institute for College Access & Success, 2013). Higher education faces intimidating challenges: continually rising costs, access and completion problems, constant changing of technology, and responsibility pressures from state and federal officials. But no challenge is more intimidating than the fundamental question that many Americans face to ask themselves, "Is college worth the cost?" As a result of the economic turn down, many students who graduate are not finding well-paying jobs, either within their field of study or not.

College is a big obstacle for students because not everyone has enough financial support going through college. In his article, “Is College Tuition Really That High?” Adam Davidson discusses that the average student does not receive enough financial aid. Education is one of the most efficient ways to becoming successful and learning more about the world they live in. These days, students entering college do not receive enough financial aid to pay off tuition due to the increases in tuition and reduction in financial aid.

There is no escaping the fact that the cost of college tuition continues to rise in the United States each year. To make it worse, having a college degree is no longer an option, but a requirement in today’s society. According to data gathered by the College Board, total costs at public four-year institutions rose more rapidly between 2003-04 and 2013-14 than they did during either of the two preceding decades (Collegeboard.com). Students are pressured to continue into higher education but yet, the increasing costs of books and tuition make us think about twice. Sometimes, some of these students have to leave with their education partially finished, leaving them with crushing debts. It is important to find the means to prevent these

Kris, a wife and a mother, worries about the increasing cost of higher education. She and her husband have a two year old daughter whom they are determined to send to college. They want their daughter to succeed in life, but they have to weigh the complications of going to college as well. “I have always thought about college as a “catch 22”...You’re taught from a young age that in order to achieve the “American Dream” you must graduate high school and go to college,” Kris contemplates (Kris 5).Throughout Kris’s ten years of experience with college, she has seen the tuition increase to shocking heights. In fact, she claims that community colleges cost as much as state colleges did when she first started her college hunt. Back then, she

Imagine, it’s 1974. The average family in America earned just under $13,000.00 a year. College wasn’t too expensive. It was $2,000.00 for private, and $510.00 for public for a year's tuition. Now come back to 2017, where the average family income is $64,000.00, and the price for a private university is $20,160.00. 10 times more expensive than it was in 1974. And that’s not even including room and board.

America’s education system has been in a state of distress for the past decade, but garnished headlines recently as the student loan debt crisis reached over a trillion dollars. In conjunction with that, tuition is no longer the only obstacle a student faces when considering their future. As generations come and go, universities have slowly, but surely, been angling their education in a way to favor profit over knowledge. Because of the new direction higher education models are taking, Magdalena Kay questions her readers, “is there a problem with students, with teachers, with administrators, or maybe

According to TED; The Economics Daily, tuition and fees increase 63% since January of 2006. Some people believe that the cost of college tuition is acceptable. However, college tuition cost is too high. They ought to be lowered and made affordable to all. College tuition cost is too high, a high tuition can prevent some students from receiving college education, forces some to take out loans, and ultimately can cause future financial instability.

Many people throughout history have said more or less the same words in many different ways, from Presidents to philosophers, from dictators to martyrs, men all through history have come to the same conclusion; knowledge is power. The question of knowledge being equal to power is not the question that has so many people preoccupied in the current economic climate. That statement as fact has been branded into the minds of young people in America and all across the world for so many generations that the point seems hardly worth debate. Now the question has become, “Is knowledge money?” The cost of a college education has skyrocketed to the point that many would be students are asking themselves, is college worth the cost?

Every day in the United States thousands of juniors and seniors are applying to colleges all over the country. However, roughly 80% of Americans cannot afford the cost of attending college. Families and their children are paying over-priced college bills years after finishing school, even after scholarships, grants and aid. A college education has become necessary to acquire a decent paying job, yet prices are outrageously high. I will be attending college in two years, but the financial burden that is going to be put on myself and my parents overtime, is a major concern of mine.

Adams, R. (2013). Universities face more complaints since rise in tuition fees. Retrieved June 13 from www.theguardian.com: http://www.theguardian.com/education/2013/jun/13/universities-complaints-tuition-fees

College is a place where most high school students want to be after graduation. They may want to attend as a goal that they have achieved for themselves for future goals and aspirations, or something that they're doing for their family. No matter what the reason is, there is one thing that is for sure. College is not cheap and will only continue to become more expensive. With this, comes diffulct financial decisions for the parents of the attende and the students themsevles. Middle class families make up the majority of the college students, but with the continuing uprise in prices the numbers of attendance will start to drop. With that said, college is becoming too expensive for the middle class and America.