The Future of College Education

College education will always be a necessary part of getting a high quality type of job. Although the student debt will continue to rise for the foreseeable future, it won’t scare students away with a increasing importance on further education. Student debt, however, will make students take a second glance on whether they can pay for their books and classes, or if they should just dropout. When you take into account these negative effects of an increase in college costs, they are much greater than that of the

College has become a norm in today’s society so much so, that the average costs of higher education are not really discussed. A public two-year in-district college was $3,520 for a full-time undergraduate student in 2016-2017 (Baum 68). Baum also declares that a public four-year in-state undergraduate tuition was $9,650; a public four-year out-of-state college cost $24,930; a private nonprofit four-year college costs $33,480; and a for-profit college cost $16,000 for that same school year. (68). Across the nation, figures will vary because of the obvious geographical region differences, but also because of price discrimination. Price discrimination allows institutions to discount their prices for a lot of students (Baum 79). Institutions do this based on individual student circumstances, and it segments the market. Institutions

Over the last decade—from 2004 to 2014—the share of graduates with debt rose modestly (from 65% to 69%) while average debt at graduation rose at more than twice the rate of inflation.” and According to the Department of Labor, as of 2008, 17 million college graduates were in positions that did not require a college education. 1 in 3 college graduates had a job that required a high school diploma or less in 2012.

Over the past decade, it has become evident to the students of the United States that in order to attain a well paying job they must seek a higher education. The higher education, usually a college or university, is practically required in order to succeed. To be able to attend these schools and receive a degree in a specific field it means money, and often a lot of it. For students, the need for a degree is strong, but the cost of going to college may stand in the way of a successful future. Each year the expense of college rises, resulting in the need for students to take out loans. Many students expect to immediately get a job after graduation, however, in more recent years the chances for college graduates to get a well paying job

The topic of “Are Too Many People Going to College?” was presented by Charles Murray, the W.H. Brady Scholar at the American Enterprise. In today’s world college is a must due to many employers seeking educated individuals. Murray develops an interesting conversation by demonstrating that many high school graduates who are seeking to go to college do not need a degree depending on their career paths. Murray provides the analogy of a high school graduate who is looking to become an electrician but is not sure if college is the most logical decision. Murray acknowledges the fact that a B.A. does not necessarily led to a higher income than one with a degree. The logical argument of money is brought to attention and is stated “the income for the top people in a wide variety of occupations that do not require a college degree is higher than the average income for many occupations that require a B.A.” (Murray 247). Although this is his main point, he understand that it varies due to the occupation one is leaning towards. There has been individuals without a college degree that are making millions of dollars, but it varies. Murray claims that getting a B.A. is going to be the wrong economic decision for many high school graduates (Murray 246); however not everyone wants to be an electrician or any other hand held jobs that doesn’t necessarily need a degree, but if one wants to be a lawyer, doctor, or anything require a degree, college is the answer. Having a degree in a

The increasing cost of higher education in the United States has been a continuing topic for debate in recent decades. American society emphasizes the importance of education after high school, yet the cost of higher education and advanced degrees continually rises at a greater rate than inflation in the 1970’s. According to the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance, cost factors prevent 48% of college-qualified high school graduates from pursuing further education (McKeon, 2004, p. 45). The current system requires the majority of students to accumulate extensive debt with the expectation that they gain rewarding post-graduate employment to repay their loans.

College is a dream that almost every American wants to come true, however, with the extreme rise in the costs of tuition it is a dream that has quickly turned into a nightmare. “Tuition at a private university is now roughly three times as expensive as it was in 1974, costing an average of $31,000 a year; public tuition, at $9,000, has risen nearly four times,” (Davidson). “For the average American household that doesn 't receive a lot of financial aid, higher education is simply out of reach,” (Davidson). That is why many students have begun questioning the worth of a college degree and if the amount of debt that is received upon exiting college is all for the better. And considering that costs have risen much faster than the rate of inflation, many are starting to believe that college just isn 't necessary any more. However, according to White, economically, the answer would still be a yes. “While unemployment rates for new grads and experienced workers alike have fluctuated throughout the recession and recovery, the earnings premium that college-and advanced-degree holders enjoy over their peers who didn 't attend college has remained relatively stable, and in some instances, grown, according to the report that was released this week,” (White). A study was shown that many college grads are able to get earnings that are significantly higher than those who did not get enough education or only hold a high school diploma (White). Even

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.

As of 2015, the average amount of student loan debt in America alone was 1.2 trillion dollars and the average balance for each of the roughly 40 million borrowers still paying back loans was $29,000 (Holland 2015). John Oliver of “Last Week Tonight” makes a point that student loan debt exceeds that of both credit card and auto loans. However, despite the negative financial effects, achieving a college degree is vital to the National Economy and the job market. According to studies by the Hamilton Project, “The cost of not going to college is rising just as much as the cost of going,” (Greenstone & Looney, 2012). This is because employers are increasing the credentials of future employees which, in turn poses two issues. First, it is

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

This article shows the indisputable, mathematical evidence that there is a measure increase in the average annual cost of college. The inflation of college costs increases and decreases periodically, and currently prices are on an increase. According to this article this inflation hits “the middle class especially hard, as they are often not rich enough to afford the full cost of tuition at a prestigious university and not poor enough to qualify for subsidies” (Patton,2015). I can personally attest to this statement. My family is a middle class family with four children, and my parents make too much for me to get any federal financial aid for college, but they do not make enough to be able to afford to help put me through school. This article also says that for the 2014-2015 school year “a public university...was $9,139” and that in 2024-2025 school year the price to attend a public university will be, approximately, $65,590 if the increase in cost stays at the current rate

Students not only leave college with a degree, but they also leave owing thousands of dollars. Even though having a college degree would help students get a higher paying job, that doesn’t necessarily mean they will find one. After graduation, the majority of these students do not have prospective jobs and those that do start at entry level salaries because of their lack of actual experience in their field. About seventeen percent of college students at the age of twenty-five are limited to what types of jobs they can find, some not even related to what type of degree they earned. Because of their limited job options, it’s even harder for them to repay their student loan debts.

     It seems in the society we live in today, having a college degree is a necessity. Years ago it was the norm for people to just go right into a full time job after high school, if they even finished high school; they did this to support their families. In today’s society a person has a difficult time getting a decent job without a college degree. During an adults working life, bachelor degree graduates will earn about $2.1 million and a high school graduate can expect to earn an average of $1.2 million (Day and Newburger, 2002). This is quite a difference and it puts a college education in

The increasing cost of higher education in the United States has been a continuing topic for debate in recent decades. American society emphasizes the importance of education after high school, yet the cost of undergraduate and advanced degrees continually rises at a greater rate than inflation. According to the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance, cost factors prevent 48% of college-qualified high school graduates from pursuing further education (McKeon, 2004, p. 45). The current system requires the majority of students to accumulate extensive debt with the expectation that they gain lucrative post-graduate employment to repay their loans.

The rising costs of formal education has become a real and concerning issue for most Americans. Whitehouse.gov states, the average income of families has remained roughly the same in the last three decades. In that time the tuition rates have more than tripled. This leaves families struggling to get their kids through school. According to Forbs, universities and colleges have been raising their tuition fees by 2 to 5% each year. Forbs also found that in public schools while students are paying more for their education, the college or university is spending less money on the student’s education. Forbs explains that the 2008 recession is largely to blame. On the contrary, that was 6 years ago and public schools are still spending less money on student’s education but charging the student more for it. This means that the tuition students are paying is not being