College Costs
Introduction
It's no secret that financing a college education is getting tougher. College costs have skyrocketed over the past decade or so, and there's no relief in sight. Average tuition at four-year colleges will increase 7 percent this school year, double the rate of inflation. Student aid is not increasing fast enough to plug the growing gap between tuition and family finances. In addition, there is a growing number of older students entering college today. These students have families that they need to support. I know, because I am a family man who has returned to school. I wish to finish my degree at the Rochester Institute of Technology. The only
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Still, $15700 is a lot of dollars for an unemployed family man or woman with little or no income.
The Cost Of Living Factor
Though the Cost Of Living is not directly related to tuition it is still a major player in the decision making process. Is it possible to maintain a family financial structure while paying for an education? The cost of a mortgage, or rent, and other bills that are associated with living adds up to many thousands of dollars per year. These costs in addition to what the tuition, books, and supplies total are expected, and have to be dealt with.
The financial burden alone can seem over-whelming to some. But let us consider what the total cost of living and attending a four year private institution are. The Bureau of Census statistics for the County of Monroe indicate "that the approximate average income for a family of four is $50964.
The poverty level for a family of four is approximately $15455". These are statistics calculated for the 1995 calendar year. No newer statistics were available. With these statistics in mind we can then determine the financial model we must follow. This model will determine what the total yearly outlay a family of four must shoulder in order to send a person to RIT.
The Financial Burden
The two keywords that I used for my simple Good search was “expensive public colleges”. There were a bunch of results that popped up that had a large amount of information involving expensive colleges. The number results that I had was about 95,500,000. In my second search I included site:.gov to my keywords. This time the amount of results that popped up wasn’t as much as the previous search. Adding the .gov to my keywords gave me only sites that were governmental. The number of results I got was 1,500,00. In this search I got more pdf files and documents that contained information about expensive colleges. In Search 3 my search was “expensive college -USA”. To my surprise this actually increases the amount of results I got from Search 2.
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.
In 1980, the average cost of tuition, room and board, and fees at a four-year institution was $9,438, according to the Department of Education. Today that amount will not even cover room and board. Our education financing system is broken and needs to be addressed.
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.
Preparing for College after graduating from high school is considered to be as one of the most thought by students. Even so, most students nowadays are uncertain whether attending college will be a good advantage for them. Some believe that it is a waste of time and money, but most people consider it as a reason to thrive in life. Unlike High school, College is certainly different because it determines your future and should be taken more earnestly by the students. College education is a worth of cost because it basically provides students with great benefits, which can be a good help in shaping their future goals.
Students attending private universities pay an average tuition of $35,374. Those who attend a community college for the first two year of their education save $8,000 or more. Since most of the same financial aid including Pell grants and Stafford loans is available for any institution choice, students in the lowest income brackets can expect a larger financial aid refund from a community college than a university. Those who need a university education to meet their career goals may be able to attend a community college part time while they work and save up. Then, when they transfer to a university for their final two years, they may have saved enough that with financial aid, they can pursue their four-year degree.
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
bills. With a minimum wage job, one will receive about $800 a month, only if
Throughout the years, America has always debated whether education is needed- if it helps people succeed or not. The argument in the past was always over high school education, which is now mandatory. That decision has helped the US rise economically and industrially. Today, the US is in the middle of the same debate- this time, over college. Some, like David Leonhardt, a columnist for the business section of The New York Times, think a college education creates success in any job. Others, such as Christopher Beha, an author and assistant editor of Harper’s Magazine, believe that some college “education” (like that of for-profit schools) is a waste of time, and can even be harmful to students. Each stance on this argument has truth to it,
Throughout every generation the majority of students, who want to acquire a better paying job in the world, all apply to a college of their dreams. The whole of these students know what to expect from college; education, social connections, fundamental understanding of their respective field, as well as the benefit/hope that they will receive their dream job soon after. However, these students also expect to amass an amount of debt once they graduate as this is a common fear amongst college graduates. In spite of such hindrance in their pursuit of a job, the experience from which they accumulated throughout their college life later benefits them in diverse amount of ways.
Whether a student is looking to stay in-state or move out, the cost is still very high. According to College Board, expenses, on average, to attend a 4-year university add up to around $9,000 a year for in-state residents. Triple this amount and non-residents must pay that. Private school expenses tend to add up to around $35,000 a year (College Costs). During the 1995-1996 academic years, 66% of four year students in public institutions received some form of financial aid (Losco). Although the financial aid sounds like a good plan at the time, it causes the ones who take aid to being their adulthood in a large amount of debt. Even though there are a number of scholarships and financial aid programs available, each student must qualify and meet certain requirements that are not always met.
Every day in the United States thousands of juniors and seniors are applying to colleges all over the country. However, roughly 80% of Americans cannot afford the cost of attending college. Families and their children are paying over-priced college bills years after finishing school, even after scholarships, grants and aid. A college education has become necessary to acquire a decent paying job, yet prices are outrageously high. I will be attending college in two years, but the financial burden that is going to be put on myself and my parents overtime, is a major concern of mine.
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
Looking back on my childhood, I realized a myriad of moments I wouldn't have given a second glance at that age. My thoughts usually tend to gravitate towards my grandparents, both of which were extremely smart, and whether it came to money, clothes, toys, or any other household object, they always put it to multiple uses. On one hand, I believed they were hoarders, but now that I'm able to look back on it, I realize that they caught the very end of the Great Depression, and that they were doing everything in their power to not relive those times. On the other hand, not everyone in my family has made smart decisions with money, so that large amount of advice accumulated over time..
and 0 if a member of that type of household takes a trip in a van,