The cost of attending a college, university, or any other higher education institution in the United States is becoming increasingly more expensive every year. The United States ranks as third highest in the western world, only behind Mexico and Japan, for cost of college tuition (Taylor, Adam. “Here’s What”). With the growing divide in wealth in America between the elite and working or lower class, many students and their families are finding entry into higher education more unattainable than ever before. American students are paying higher tuition and college fees today than at any other time in the history of the United States’ higher education system. The United States should offer low-cost or free tuition at higher education institutions to any U.S. citizen who wishes to become educated and skilled.
Attending college or university was primarily for the upper class until the mid-20th century (Snyder 64). After the conclusion of World War II the U.S. government introduced the G.I. Bill of 1944. The G.I. Bill covered the cost of tuition and room and board at the institution the veteran chose to attend, opening the doors of higher education to men returning from war. With the advent of the G.I. Bill, colleges across the U.S. saw a marked increase in attendance. The effect of the increase in those attending and graduating from college after the G.I. Bill was introduced can still be felt today; it has been credited with creating the ever-important middle class (CUNY. “GI
College tuition is very expensive and many people are unable to attend due to the overall cost of tuition, books, room and board. The high price of a college education is unfair to the bright students who have limited resources. These students are at a disadvantage because of lack of funds. The United States should find a way to provide free tuition to all students who want an education.
College tuition has been an increasingly intense topic of discussion over the years. The costs of higher education have been debated by many people, and it has been discussed as to whether costs are becoming too high for students to afford. College has become more and more popular, and now as many as 20 million students attend universities reported by The National Center for Education Statistics (1). The value of a college degree is immense, but college tuition is becoming too expensive for students to afford, and furthering the problem are students’ lack of knowledge on how to pay and earn money towards their college degree.
Ever since you were little, your parents have been talking about this wonderful thing called college. They told you that you have to go there to get an education before you can get a good job. Many kids have dreamed of going to college, and being able to get the job of their dreams. By putting in hard work and dedication to good grades in high school, you had high hopes that you would be able to get into an Ivy League school. The American dream of being able to go to college to get a degree is sliding away from many people due to rising costs. With increasing tuition prices and job loss, the college dream is slowly and surely slipping away from many students and their families.
Universities used to be a privilege for most academic students to attend and it was very affordable, but currently the price per year to attend college has drastically increased. For instance, in the “1970’s the average cost was 10,000 dollars a year and today the average cost is 30,000 dollars a year” (CQ Researcher). This is a triple increase in the price per year to attend college. Allowing this increase on college tuition has impacted the student’s attendance rate. This is a significant financial burden for college students and their family. Some believe that college shouldn’t be free because we are risking the value of college education, while others think it should be free because we are trying to avoid having our upcoming generation
As a recent analysis, America’s colleges and universities are quietly shifting the burden of their big tuition increases onto low-income students, while many higher-income families are seeing their college costs rise more slowly, or even fall” (Eskow). Though education is the basic human right, most of the people in the U.S. are not being able to gain it as because of its rising cost. Since the 1970s, tuition and fees at public institutions have increased by more than 350 percent, while pay for working- and middle-class households has stagnated. As a result, the cost of a public-college education now accounts for almost 15 percent of the average family's annual income; 40 years ago it was about 4 percent (Kenneth W. Warren and Samir Sonti). The tuition and fees are increasing in such a way that the young Americans aren’t as educated as the young citizens of many other developed countries. The U.S. ranks 14th in the world in the percentage of 25-34 year-olds with higher education (42%).” When all adults of working age are considered, the US is still one of the highest-educated countries in the world. But when this age group is considered, we are falling behind (Richard Eskow). That’s the personal loss for the young people of the U.S. Education is not a privilege of the rich and well-to-do; it is the inalienable right of every people. It is a powerful tool by which people can lift
Bernie Sanders, senator of the state of Vermont said, “The cost of college education today is so high that many young people are giving up their dream of going to college, while many others are graduating deeply in debt” (“Brainy Quote”). Each year students take out loans to pay for a college education. Is it really necessary? They are just going to be a statistic. I believe everyone should not go to college. College is not for everyone.
The author talks about college cost, and the effect it has on students and on how times it takes longer to graduate. This is an important topic because college cost has been a problem for many individuals for decades and it still is. College cost is something that shapes people's lives and it worries them because college cost is what determines if they're going to continue going to college. It’s something that people should take lightly because college is pretty expensive. According to the advocacy group complete college America, it cost 63,718 for one extra year to attend college. For students who take longer to finish school because of certain requisites, it becomes a toll because of the cost. According to Norton Field Guide to writing by Richard Bullock and Maureen Daly Goggin found a report on Los Angeles-bases campaigns for college opportunity, saying students who attend school 6 years instead of 4 years will lose 110,900 dollars in their lifetime. Many people in the work field and colleges expect students to attend school for four years. According to the NFGW, “nearly nine out of 10 freshmen think they will earn their bachelor degree within the traditional four years.” Yet In the NFGW quotes the U.S Department of Education and they report that “about 45 percent won’t have finished.”
In times, nowadays college is one of the main ways to become successful in this world. The thing is college isn't for everyone. Some kids simply do not qualify because of grades but a major problem is tuition. On average tuition can range from 20,000 dollars to 40,000 dollars a year. Add this up for 4 years and you are looking at about 120,000 dollars for a 4-year degree. This price is what can take away an opportunity to go to college. In 2011-12, the NCAA reported $871.6 million in revenue. That could fully cover about 7,263 students, so imagine if this price was split each year for students, this would help lower the cost of tuition. Student athletes already get a full scholarship and most of the money received yearly by the NCAA is from
One of the biggest questions a high-school student will be asked is about their future career. What most students pursing a college degree fail to realize is the opportunity cost they might have to sacrifice. It all comes down to the individual because unless the person is a professional basketball player, then college might not be worth the opportunity cost for that said individual. Unfortunately, not everyone is a professional athlete so their opportunity cost for college might not be so easy to determine. Also the student must take into consideration what degree they want to pursue and see how the job market is like. For instance, an art degree may not be the best choice to go with in today’s economy. The CNBC article that brought an interest to this topic is “What’s the
It is difficult to comprehend how third world countries have tuition-free colleges and America does not. How can economically underdeveloped countries offer free colleges with little problem, but America struggles? While politicians such as Bernie Sanders, President Obama, and Kate Brown talk about making colleges and community colleges tuition-free and eventually free altogether, they fail to see the bigger problem of economic disparity. Implementing a tuition-free program where everyone is eligible is not sustainable nor fair. If a student comes from a household that makes less than the average annual salary of $56,516, tuition should be completely free. College must be tuition-free because most first world countries already have free college, it is an investment that will benefit current and future generations, and people’s inability to repay back their student loans is negatively affecting the United State’s economy.
The towering prices of college tuition is an avid cause for the overwhelming ignorance in America. U.S. leaders once hoped that 60 percent of the U.S. population would have college degrees by 2025. Today in 2017, it is closer to 30 percent. Not only do tuition costs dig deep financial holes in a student’s life, the pressure of making the investment causes unnecessary, avoidable stress. Students around the world flourish without the financial commitment. Students in America- the land of the “free”- need the same financial freedoms and opportunities to thrive and contribute to mankind in the changing world of today.
The topic of paying for college has been a widely debated issue for students. Some people believe college is too expensive for teens who have just began to wander around the adult world, while others feel college would be taken for granted if the student doesn’t make an effort for their education. Higher education may include longer years of studying, loans and debt. This is what makes society feel that college should be free. However, it must be acknowledged that free college really isn’t free and misunderstanding this concept would be an economic mistake. Although it’s understood that college comes with a great price, eliminating the cost for higher education would increase taxes, diminish the value of a degree and may cause students to not
“The benefits of post secondary education are well documented and have major implications for economic growth, equality, and social mobility” (Dominguez). This was reported by the white house on January 2014. Many others can agree education is the key to a healthier economy. But lately, students throughout the United States have been struggling to pay the expensive tuition fees that tag along with having a college education. These expensive college costs have been largely debated and constantly listed as a national concern for middle class families all around the US. Many believe free tuition is the solution to our country’s trillion debt problem, but with our economy on the
The cost of American college tuitions are increasing sharply and getting out of control. The victim behind that increment is student who can’t afford paying school tuitions to get a college degree that will help to improve his/her quality of life. According to Sanford J. Ungar “The problem of costs goes beyond
Higher education costs have been increasing at a rapid pace, faster than inflation for the economy as a whole, for the past fifty years. It started in the 1960’s when the federal government passed the Higher Education Act to increase the amount of people able to afford and attend college. Regardless of the Unites States Government efforts to increase the affordability of college, federal aid programs have not risen to expectations due to the ever-increasing college prices. To lower the price of college, the government needs to cut back on student financial spending to go only to the lowest income families and create tax incentives for families to start saving up on their own.