The Importance Of Higher Education

Perhaps one of the greatest concerns that torments America’s new generation is pursuing higher education in order to make more money and while avoiding being in debt, decades after graduation. This topic has become even more as tuition continues to rise and politicians are left to ponder the best course of action to insure that the next generation of Americans is more educated than the last. One particular solution was posed by former president, Barack Obama, who promoted the idea of free community college. Although, it may not be the most direct or most elegant solution, it would certainly be a push in the right direction. By making community college tuition free nationwide, states would become more invested in accommodating the influx of students, lead different school systems to compete by lowering tuition prices, and finally address America’s shortcoming in adults who possess more than just high school diploma.

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

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.

Financial barriers for higher education has climbed over the last ten years. Today, over 40 million Americans have student loans. Of these 40 million, most individuals are struggling to maintain payments on the loans (Hillary for America, 2016). Since 2004, the tuition for in-state colleges and universities has risen by about 42 percent and with the recent Great Recession, states have continued to decrease spending on higher education at a rapid rate (Hillary for America, 2016). It is estimated that states are only contributing around $1,805 per student, which is estimated to be 20 percent less than what was contributed only seven years’ prior. The federal government in

The Federal government, state government, and Board of Trustees should consider creating policies that are aimed to reduce college tuition because seeing the monetary cost of attendance may deter many people from pursuing a degree which will affect unemployment rates and eventually the economy. Mark Pocan once said, “By making college unaffordable and student loans unbearable, we risk deterring out best and brightest from pursuing higher education and securing a good paying job” (Pocan 1). Education is a fundamental human right, and it needs to be accessible to everyone. The purpose of this paper is to persuade the government to help make

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.

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.

Dreams are not cheap. I have dreamed of having a college degree for twenty years, one of the hurdles that I struggled with overcoming was the shear rising cost of higher education. In the articles, The Problem with Obama’s “Free Community College” Proposal and Obama’s Dream of Free Community College is Headed to Congress, high dropout rates and low percentages of students earning a bachelor’s degree are touched upon. While reducing the cost of college or providing free community college may not be enough to raise the dropout rate, we need to look at the other non-quantifiable costs of getting an education. If we want to enable American’s to earn that dream, we need to address the whole needs of the student and not just throw money at them.

The U.S. government has created a new strategy to make colleges more affordable for low income students. Federal student aid’s primary goal is to help as many students attend college as possible. Financial aid and Pell Grants help low income students who meet certain academic criteria cover the costs of tuition. Low income students are getting a chance to attend college and increase graduation rates from four-year institutions to help close the poverty gap. Colleges and universities should make low income high school students aware of programs that will help them enroll and afford their education. Schools teach low income students that college is a key to their financial independence and a better life. High schools teach Seniors that in order to improve your social standing, employment options and salary expectations, a college education is often necessary. Financial aid is central to the successful enrollment and retention of low-income students. The majority of these students (90 percent) getting financial assistance from government. By maximizing Pell grant award amounts for low-income students, reforming the student loan program, and eliminating bank subsidies, colleges and universities can be affordable.

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

What the writer is basically talking about in this article is the importance of change in certain aspects in the education system that could help improve higher education in the U.S. He starts with identifying the problems and outline certain solutions. He has aimed it towards both students and the U.S government, to try and raise awareness. This would be done by recognizing the concerns of students and making the government aware of them. His purpose of writing this article is to initiate or lay the roots to possible change in the system. He identifies flaws in the system, relating them to actual problems faced by students and finally trying to make the government aware, so they could take particular action. The writer identifies the government’s plans to improve higher education by helping students pay for their loans, however he believes that focus should change to finding cost effective ways of educating. He supports his statement by giving solutions, like the adaption of new technologies to make education less costly. ‘To this day institutions have taken technology as an added cost, rather than means to increase productivity and reduce costs’. Another solution the writer puts forward is specialization, meaning that universities should only specialize in particular fields

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.

Presently, the availability of educational opportunities at the college and university level is a critical state and personal interest given the needs of the state for a well-educated workforce which has never been greater. Too many, the focal point of attending college is receiving a high paying job in the future. Unfortunately, in most states, tuition is on the rise and students who come from low-income families find themselves struggling to fund their education. According to legislatures, “The cost of college in New Jersey, as in the nation, continues to grow faster than the rate of inflation.” (State of New Jersey 1). In the national financial aid policy resources that are typically given to the neediest families are shifting towards

In the past fifty years since the inception of the Higher Education Act, federal policies regarding financial aid have expanded in scope, intent, and access. Prior to this landmark legislation, federal intervention and financial support of higher education was minimal, with most of the control lying with individual states. Whereas financial support for higher education was previously directed at institutions, federal financial aid provided funding for individual students, initially as a means for increasing access for underrepresented and disadvantaged populations. The evolution of federal financial aid represents the historical, political, and policy changes during the past five decades and illustrates the gradual shift in societal values

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.