Ripping Off Americ The College Loan Scandal

Just about everyone agrees that college should be more affordable. A century ago high school was becoming a necessity, not a luxury; today the same is happening to college. If college is essential for building a career and being a full participant in our democracy as high school once was, shouldn 't it be free, paid for by public dollars, and treated as a right of all members of our country? The average college graduate comes out of college with at least $60,000 in debt and if they went to an Ivy League should that shots up to upward of $100,000 all this debt before they even get their first real job (“Fast Facts”). This is the burden that students have to worry about and then they only have six months to find a job that can cover they loan payments, which can be as much as a couple thousand dollars a month and most working people can’t afford that. These days it is highly emphasized that the responsibility to educate the poor lies on the shoulders of the government. It should be, considering the significant hike in the tuition fees worldwide. In such circumstances, many intelligent and hardworking students miss out on studying in a university due to lack of funds. This not only demoralizes the student, but also has a negative impact on the society as it loses out on its future professionals.

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 order to be successful in the workforce, having a powerful career there are things needed like higher education. Graduating from college is essential to finding a successful job, since more jobs are making college degree a requirement, more people are going to college. The problem is the cost of going to college outweighs the earning from the career you obtain. Very little people are able to pay for college out of pocket. In 2014, 42% of undergraduates paid for college out of pocket (Sallie Mae). The result of this is that students seeking higher education are forced to take out loans. On average, college students borrows $25,000 to earn their degrees (Alexandria). I just don 't get the concept of college tuition or student loans. It

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.

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.

Interest rates are constantly on the rise along with the cost of tuition and the income levels of students are not increasing in order to make ends meet. Therefore, student debt is spreading rampantly across our nation and is becoming a tremendous issue. Student debt is a topic that is relevant in today’s society because it affects such a large portion of the population. Furthermore, it is affecting the country 's economy in many ways. With the accumulation of debt, students are unable to afford to purchase a home, or at times, a brand new car because there is simply no way that they can afford such a large investment while they scramble to pay their loans.

It’s no secret in America that many college graduates are struggling to pay off their student loans. While looking at the statistics for how much is owed and how many college graduates are affected, it is clear that student debt is an issue and the need for a solution couldn’t be more urgent. The latest data show that across the country there are over “40 million borrowers” who share in “$1.2 trillion dollars” of student loans (Life Delayed). According to those numbers, that means that the average borrower has $30,000 dollars to pay off. With college tuition ever increasing, it is not hard to see how borrowing more money has becoming inevitable. According to Alan Greenblatt, a staff writer for NPR and CQ Researcher who focuses on

Of all of the hardships facing college students in this day and age, debt one of the greatest. There is a trillion-dollar debt that United States' students are drowning in, and it has become not only a burden on the shoulders of those who have the debt, but in fact, every taxpayer in this country suffers because of this debt. We, as a county, have created the concept of "free money," specifically when talking about loans, credit cards, etc. Without immediate consequences, it is not an immediate threat to those who obtain it. This "free money" can be directly attributed to inflation and a rise in the price of a collegiate education. My parents, who graduated from college in 2001, are still agonized with paying off their collegiate debt. I do

When discussing further education for a high school graduate, attending a university is very costly. The use of federal loans became dependent on most American families that try to provide such an education to their child. Before World War II, academically advanced students from families that were unable to finance college could apply for competitive scholarships; Scholarships mutated into “financial aid” when the GI Bill of Rights financed college for the discharged veterans (Toby, 2010). Since then, student loan debt has surpassed $1 trillion, which is larger than debt accumulated from both credit cards and auto purchases (Student Loan Debt No Longer Just Problem for Borrowers, 2012). With the increasing amount of loans and the uprising cost of college, students fall farther into student debt every year. Whether it is at fault of the university, the poor economy, or the aid programs in general, students should not be required to pay back their federal student loans before finding a steady job in their field of study.

Statistics exhibit that majority of people are unable to pay for their further education. Pew Social and Demographic Trends state, “A majority of Americans (57%) say the higher education system in the United States fails to provide students with a good value for the money they and their families spend.” Tuition rates for colleges hyperbolizes its values comparatively to the money families spend. It also proclaims, “An even larger majority- 75%- says college is too expensive for most Americans to afford.” College snatch away the money of American families at a value too high and too much for the average family to spend. Not only does college seize the money many family don’t have to begin with, but it forces families to go into debt. Working extreme hours and trying to pay for college wearies the family’s way of living. According to Pew Social and Demographic Trends, “A record share of students are leaving college with a substantial debt burden… about half say that paying off that debt made it harder to pay other bills… about a quarter say it has had an impact on their career choices.” Debts triggers a person to change their profession and causes hardships to their life in the future. High tuition rates and debts stir students away from college and jobs that they truly want. College acquire families money at an

These loans are a growing crisis, having “quadrupled since 2004 to just under $1.2 trillion” (Gorman). At the projected rate, the student debt crisis will continue to rise if the focus of funding higher education remains on loans and not federal or state grants. Without reform on policies that help decrease college prices, the student loan debt crisis will continue to grow and further disadvantage the socioeconomic standing of people who seek the most financial aid.

According to Business Insider, there is roughly 1.3 trillion dollars in total student loan debt. Of that 1.3 trillion dollars, 863 billion dollars was issued from the federal government. This is problematic because there are 40 million people each year that are paying off student loan debt. In my eyes, the purpose of higher education is to be able to take your education to contribute to the economy as well as improve your own quality of life. Continually having to pay off student loan debt almost takes the purpose away from being institutionally educated. Having to pay off student loan debt post-graduation is simply life taking. Recipients of higher education do not deserve student loan debt. Imagine if the average American had their debt wiped

1. Matt Taibbi argues in his Rolling Stone article “Ripping Off America: The College-Loan Scandal” that the government, colleges and universities, are all perpetuating this scandal of ripping off unknowing students. He states that students have essentially been backed into a corner because any good paying job requires a 4 year degree, but the debt gathered in doing so makes life after getting a degree just as difficult. Taibbi’s first point of surprise was “In 2010, it estimated that one in five had defaulted on their loans since 1995, that 31 percent of community-college students default and that an astonishing 40 percent of students attending for-profit schools end up defaulting” (Taibbi). Pursuing a higher education is something that has been disguised as doable for everyone, but what such high defaulting percentages, the current method clearly does not support this. Furthermore, Taibbi went on to say that, “After the latest compromise, the 10-year revenue projection for the DOE 's lending programs is $184,715,000,000, or $715 million higher than the old projection - underscoring the fact that the latest deal, while perhaps rescuing students this coming year from high rates, still expects to ding them hard down the road” (Taibbi). This is surprising because it further shows that deceit is a very prominent theme when it comes to understanding and pursuing a higher education. They make it appear like they are finding a solution or trying to be fair, when their true

Going to school and trying to afford it can be a financially draining experience, and I know that from experience. Our government has made many relevant changes thus far to better support students, but much more can still be done. With rising tuition costs and not enough government aid, more and more students are forced to take out loans in order to pay for continuing education. These loans later become a huge financial burden, some totaling near $30,000. If the dream of a college education is dependent upon access and affordability, how are young people supposed to continue their education and plan a future, when the cost of tuition is through the roof? Because higher education supports our economy, the government should be expected

If an aspiring college student doesn’t have the necessary funds to attend school, there is another option they could use to pay for school. Student loans are a popular choice so that the student can pay for school. While this may seem like a great option for affording school, it can be a devil in disguise for many. The New York Times reports that Americans owe over 1.4 trillion dollars in student loan debt (Kelly 1). This happens when a college student takes loans with the belief that the college degree they get will help them achieve a higher salary which will in turn will help them pay off their debt. This often isn’t the case. A student takes the loans and attends school, but does not receive the salary that they were hoping to acquire from attending school. A standard payment plan for students is to pay off their debt in ten years, but according to a study conducted by US News, the average bachelor degree holder takes twenty-one years to pay off (Bidwell 1). This is a common occurrence as well, a report conducted by The Institute for Collee Access and Success shows that in 2012, seventy-one percent of college graduates had student debt (Serrato 1). The current system that the government offers to help those struggling to afford a secondary education is a flawed program that needs restructuring.