Every member of this class, this university, this collegiate atmosphere, has most likely accumulated debt to achieve higher education. I certainly had the feeling that entering into the University of Massachusetts as a freshmen this year would involve relatively little debt which I would pay off upon graduation–a simple affair in which I received an education for a fair price. Yet, looking even at the comparatively “small” expenditures I have to deal with, examples of educators, students, and parents all paint a portrait of the devastating and deceiving nature of debt involved in the collegiate system in this country. Systemically, culturally, and personally, the system of debt associated with virtually every modern college experience
When we think about college and a college education, it seems as though our first initial thought is the student loans and debt that can result in achieving a college degree. Looking back, student debt has risen drastically and has made it extremely stressful for students and families. Many people go through their entire life in debt, especially from being a student. Student debt has always existed; however, now, it is so extreme, almost all students who attend college find themselves deep in debt, and must continue paying off their debt many years after they graduate. For the past two decades, student debt has risen, illustrating how big this social problem has become. The reason student debt is a significant social problem is because of how much it can effect a person’s life, and their families lives, that can carry over to their future. Although there were many things that led up to and impacted the drastic student debt that is now being faced by many students around the world, the corporation Sallie Mae, was the essential factor in why student debt has skyrocketed to unreasonable proportions. Sallie Mae provided the first type of corporation that changed its focus from helping students, to helping themselves. The history and scope of the student debt can help us understand that the corporation, Sallie Mae, was the main cause of this problem.
Funding colleges and universities has become a crisis for the higher education system in America. The higher education funding issue is not caused by one issue but rather multiple issues like endowment losses, falling investments, declining donations, declining state appropriations, and increased student financial aid which leads to a decreased tuition revenue (Weisbrod & Asch, 2010). Some of these funding issues create other funding issues like an increase in tuition revenue that creates an increase in student financial aid and then decreases the tuition revenue resulting in lower funds for the institution.
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
The presidential race is now consuming America. It is mentioned every morning in the news and in every “scroll” through social media. While important topics such a national security, national debt, and international affairs are brought up constantly in the debate spotlight, higher education is a topic less discussed. However, each presidential candidate has a specific, strategic plan to tackle current issues in higher education. The main issue that candidates believe should be addressed includes college costs and how they impact student debt. Each candidate has a different stance on the issue, and each have a plan to move toward solving the issue. This review will cover the current issue of student debt and how that is impacting America, each presidential candidates strategic plan to tackle this issue, a critique of each presidential candidate’s plan, and a reflection of solutions presented. Each candidate running for the 2016 presidency deserves full recognition, this review will focus on the two leading presidential candidates: Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.
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
The purpose of this report is to inform the chancellor of the issue surrounding higher education. The issue of higher education is that it’s failing to give millions of student’s quality degrees at a reasonable cost. College costs and student debt have been rising for the past years and it continues to rise. States don’t invest enough in schools to make colleges more affordable which leads to an increase of tuition cost and student loans.
The first commitment made by the university is its devotion to its students in serving their financial needs. Every graduate of a university has to struggle with dealing with debt and paying off student loans. The fear of being in debt and the intimidation of the sticker price of higher education stops many people from seeking out a degree. This problem affects students today but was also
The cost of college is rising relative to the income of American families. This is especially concerning for the students who have an average of $30,000 worth of debt or more. Rising college costs is a complicated subject, but here are three reasons why it is overly expensive: First, students demand more from their colleges, meaning that students expect more than an education like entertainment, recreation, and counseling. Secondly, there are more students who are willing to pay for higher education compared to the 60’s, and since more people are willing to pay, the colleges raise the prices without affecting enrollment numbers. Lastly, the administrative heads of colleges have been much more generous about paying themselves, at about a 250%
It is obvious to anyone who looks that the cost of a college education is rising at an alarming rate. Increased tuitions, decreased government funding, and increased institutional debt contribute to a $1 trillion student debt crises. These factors, along with critical mismanagement of funds on the part of Universities create an environment where education has risen at more than twice the rate of inflation. By examining educational institutions finances, we can begin to understand the problem, and how to solve it.
In the United States, a college degree comes with the promise of a bright future, but also the guarantee of an average of $33,000 in debt (Izzo). Many of us have hopes and aspirations to attend prestigious Universities across the country, but perhaps that dream may be more expensive than we envisioned. Costs of a college education in America have skyrocketed since 2005 (Izzo), and have left newly graduated students searching for help. In order to offer a helping hand to those affected by tuition costs, we must first look at the root issue: The high cost of tuition. Lowering tuition will not only save thousands of people from debt, but it will also boost the economy, and keep us competitive with other countries. The cost of attending college
Today colleges are growing more and more necessary for attaining a solid path towards a successful career, yet the rapidly increasing cost of tuition is driving students away from their dream of attending college, due to the preposterous amount of money that is now being demanded by colleges across the nation and world as a whole. It is sad to see students being turned away from a successful future due to the money-hungry nature of the universities that dot the globe. More and more impossible it is becoming to have a “rags-to-riches” scenario that used to highlight the American Dream, as if a student doesn’t have the riches to afford a higher education and the tuition that is drug upon its coattails, then our society is doomed to be clothed in rags forever, unless major changes are brought about to restructure and end the indefatigable growth of tuition rates across the board.
The first commitment made by the university is its devotion to its students at serving their financial needs. Every graduate of a university has to struggle with dealing with debt and paying off student loans. The fear of being in debt and the intimidation of the sticker price of higher education stops many people from seeking out a degree. This problem effects students
With the rapid development of economy, there is the tendency that education has become commercialized – colleges and universities have become such business enterprises that everything is measured in terms of profits. People tend to associate education with money and believe that education can eventually bring huge profits in the long run. Nonetheless, some people are ambivalent about this phenomenon. While they asserting universities should be businessization because in the real world, everything is connected with money. At the same time, they deem the essence of education, to process of gaining knowledge, skills, and information, is twisted. If education becomes materialized, it is not only misleading but also detrimental. In Ask not what you can do for your university, but what your university can do for you, an article appeared in the UCLA Student WebZine, the author points out insightfully that the change occurred within the structure of American university system from a “high-brow institute of knowledge” to a “business enterprise”(OW 293). As a result of this shift, students “attending college view their university education not as a valuable opportunity to gain knowledge, but rather as a purchase. Undergraduates invest tuition money to attend classes and, in turn, expect to receive a degree that will then precipitate a financially successful career”(OW 293). This
We have always been taught as a nation that a college education is key in the pathway towards success, the debt connected with it, however, may present a substantial barrier towards victory. In the last few years, student debt has increased at an unprecedented pace. According