If you were to poll the American public as to what the largest issue faced by the general public, you would no doubt hear a wide range of issues, such as poverty, the widening income gap, high unemployment rates, the economy, or government policy just to name a few. Another top concern within our nation is the current state of our higher education: its affordability and its overall impact on poverty levels and the unemployment rate. According to the U.S. Department of Education:
Creating a clear path to the middle class and ensuring our nation 's economic prosperity means opening the doors of higher education to more Americans. Today, three-quarters of the fastest-growing occupations require education and training beyond a high school
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According to the U.S. Census Bureau,
Adults aged 18 and older holding a bachelor 's degree earned an average of $51,544 in 2004, compared with an average of $28,645 earned by those with a high school diploma—or about 73% more. Multiplied over the course of a lifetime that could translate into a difference in income of hundreds of thousands of dollars. (“Value of a College”)
This is an average of over $23,000 - which is roughly the price of a mid-size car or small truck – per year; that is a very significant difference when it comes to trying to provide a higher quality of life for you and your family. This paper will work to provide education on some of the steps that must be taken to help to lower the costs associated with attaining a higher level of education. These steps include increasing a student’s overall knowledge of the fees associated with college tuition, the different types of educational options available, the monetary assistance available, and the ways the government can assist in improving higher educational facilities.
One of the key aspects of the discussion is working to lower the overall costs of earning a degree. This does not include simply the tuition, it is all the encompassing costs associated with it. According to the Higher Education Strategy Associates,
The basic unit of analysis for measuring “affordability” of higher education is the cost of education. This cost is not simply
Education in America is one of the most important issues that face our nation. If the education in America is not thought of one of most serious issues we face, our nation as a whole will fall. There are many debates and they seemly extend to all walks of life. The debates range from the decline in education, school vouchers, and the no child left behind law. As a nation, the United States is ranked above others. We must search for that solution to all of the pro’s and con’s in education. The solution should allow all walks of life to excel in the education realm. After all, the children of today will be the leaders of tomorrow.
In society today, a college education is often seen as a “the next step” in a young adult’s life. Whether they actually know what they would like to earn a degree in, they feel the need to continue their education as almost everyone around them is pursuing post-secondary education of some sort. It is often argued that a college education is not necessary to get ahead because of the manufacture based workforce that is up and coming in America, however, there are many benefits to having a post-secondary education such as a higher rate of pay and more job opportunities.
Higher education has been known by many Americans as a luxury for only those who can afford it if not being forever in debt with student loans. The price of higher education has been in debate for many years but it still has not ceased to come into an agreement. Should higher education lower its price or is it worth paying for it? As Andrew Hacker and Claudia Dreifus argue in their article “Are Colleges Worth the Price of Admission?” there are colleges worth mentioning about how successful their financial management has been correlated with their students success. The issue has also come into attention for Sanford J. Ungar, as he explains in his article “The New Liberal Arts,” although liberal arts education may be have its misconceptions, it does pay for its price. Hence, higher education (whether from a regular university or a liberal arts college) is worth the price, as it prepares individuals for the real world more than any other kind of education, it is an unique time were students are allowed to explore and put their abilities into test and it is the opportunity for many to overcome the many obstacles life has to offer.
A major problem for today’s high school graduates is the rising price in college education. Attending college can add up really fast; it can cost up to tens of thousands of dollars per year (Barkan 1). No wonder, in Steven Barkan’s book of social problems, issues and problems in higher education take up a full chapter. In this chapter, Barkan states that only 44% of all students who attend a four-year institution is lucky enough to have annual tuitions and fees amount to less than $9,000 per year. The aggravating question is, “why does college cost so much?” Not only is tuition part of the cost of college but also fees housing and meals, books, school supplies, and accessories (“What’s the Price Tag” 1). All tuition covers is the money for academic instruction. Fees are charges for specific services such as, internet access, and then the cost of books and school supplies add up. Additionally, one is not paying just for textbooks but also
The cost of tuition among colleges and universities is highly diversified and indefinite. Students shouldn’t be financial problems that are associated with the high tuition cost for their education because it creates unnecessary stress and financial problems. The student’s primary concern should be their academic performance and learning. The tuition fee includes extracurricular expenses such as lifestyle amenities that may not be essential toward the student education yet they are still being charged for it. Universities and colleges are lacking a stable and regulated tuition system to provide a better education for a reasonable price. The high tuition cost affects the academic performance, enrollment in higher education, and increase
The Secretary of Education report charts the future of United States higher education and outlines various recommendations to improve it. As higher education evolves in unexpected ways, this new landscape demands innovation and flexibility from the institutions that serve the nation’s learners. The recommendations mentioned include assess, cost and affordability, financial aid, learning, transparency and accountability, and finally innovation. One of the most significant recommendations that needs to definitely be address is the issue of cost and affordability of higher education.
An article by HO, J.D says, “the National Center for education statistics reports an average tuition of 25,409 for the 2014-15 academic year at four-year colleges and universities.” It’s amazing how costly is to get an education. Where many questions, Should the amount of wealth you make determine whether you attend college or not.? Many students going college are in college debt College expenses are getting higher, every individual that is thinking of going college goes through the financial struggle. As many think of a question of how much income they need to pay college tuition.? In regrade to making their college life, usually, student tend to go school and work. although, going school and working becomes the habit but the student will have a dangerous effect on their study. They would have less time to study and take a rest. Education has given many an opportunity to change the world and taught people to saves other people lives. Now our world has doctors, pilots, engineers, scientist and much more that people are not seeing. The life cycle of humans is amazing where we lose another and get even smarter and betters. In this cycle, many have not have gotten an opportunity to show the talent because of college tuitions rising every year. There have been different college grants and some help on college fee if you are under poverty level. Education should not be compared with the price, we can buy a nice dress with a good price but we cannot buy an education at a price
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
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.
The cost of attending college has risen drastically over the years. Statistics show that there has been a 260% increase in tuition costs since 1980. The increase in tuition cost equates to an increase in money borrowed to fund higher education. An increase in money borrowed results in an increase in debt accumulated over time. As a result of the rising figures, the economy as a whole has also suffered because of the restricted financial space many graduates find themselves in upon completion of their degree. In this paper, we will discuss college costs, reasons why they have risen, and the best way for students to pay for it.
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.
College is necessary if a person wants to, not only be educated but also wants to be prepared for the competitiveness of the work place. Unfortunately colleges and universities can be very expensive, even without including books, transportation and student housing. In this essay I will like to explore how expensive college can be, the impact it has on students and what can possibly be done to address this issue.
There is no doubt that education has become very expensive. To get a well-paying and reliable job, citizens need to have a good education and qualifications. Students who wish to study at higher education levels are now finding it more difficult to decide about furthering their education. Studies have found that the primary reason young people are not attending college is the enormous cost. Nearly three out of four college graduates have borrowed loans to cover their tuition costs, running up a remarkable debt for each student. Attending and graduating from college is still one of the best financial decision citizens can make in their lives, but the persistent rise in costs have made college a progressively worse deal with each passing
One of the most expensive fields in America today are colleges and universities. As time has gone on, so has the inflation of the nations market. In order to qualify for scholarships, students need a good education to help them compete with millions of other students across the nation. Therefore, being educated effectively will help better prepare them for the challenges universities require. Obtaining a good education will not only help students take their next steps in learning, but help them be ready for it
Over the last half century, many things have changed for the people that want to pursue a higher education. The cost of attendance has incremented, the discovery of new courses, remodeling of courses, new majors have been added, technology has been implemented and campuses have been modernized. It has been the government 's responsibility in creating new paths to the middle class and ensuring the nation’s economic prosperity by opening the doors of higher education. The ultimate mission of the United States is to support the students in achieving an educational excellence. Today many believe that the purpose of college is simply to discourage those because of the high cost of tuition, levels of difficulty, and long term debts; however,