The Cost of College Tuition

 The cost of college is very high compared to how the economy has been and how wages and financial aid have not risen with the cost of tuition. This makes it harder for students to graduate and brings a lot of stress to their lives. Without the funding that is needed many students drop out or take a longer time finishing their degree. Going to college is stressful enough without the need to worry about how you’re going to pay for it and what other costs will continue to rise with getting a degree.

The cost of college is too high compared to the amount Americans make and how much they are expected to contribute. This issue is very close to me because I am attending college, along with many of my friends and hearing about their struggles with paying for college is something I hear about often and is something I constantly think about. Some of my friend’s parents are paying for their education and this is a great help to the students but this causes a strain on the parents and can make them decide to pull money out of their retirement (carpenter).

While going to college is important it can be very tough to pay for it. Some students have to rely on student loans to pay, while others have parents who are paying for it, while others can’t go at all because it would be too hard financially and to their everyday life to be able to go. Finding the right way for you can be a process. While many jobs require a degree, the cost of getting one has risen very dramatically over the years. Colleges seem to be able to raise tuition with a moment’s notice and expect the student to deal with it.

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The government can only shake an angry finger at them because they don’t want to take complete control over the colleges all over America. How the parents, student, and government look at the cost, the need for a degree, and how they will pay for it determines how much they are willing to sacrifice for it. Most parents want better for their children. To some this includes paying for their college education. With the economy with the way that it is and people losing their jobs all the time this can be harder than expected.

This has caused many students to change their choice on which college to attend to a cheaper choice or go to a community college before going to a four year school. (Carpenter) This isn’t a bad choice but it can be hard to transition from one school to another and hope that all the credits will transfer successfully. Many parents feel like they are letting their child down if they do not help them, but many believe that the student should pay for it them because it will help them learn responsibility with juggling school and a job. According to Public Agenda only 42% of students whose parents did not help them graduated (Clark).

This could be blamed on how hard it can be to be working and to find time to fit in time not only for class but preparing for class without their parents help. This can help time management skills, but for a student to be able to graduate in four years and work enough to not have a mountain of debt can be a hard thing to accomplish. Something else that also comes up is it’s not just tuition that has to be paid for, it’s also all the fees added on and the costs that most people don’t think about when budgeting for school like food for each week and transportation.

With added on fees for every class it can be very frustrating so how the student pays for college affects a lot of aspects in their lives. The government has done a lot to help students with grants and scholarships so that they can afford college. With FAFSA many families are given money that they would otherwise not have so they don’t have to worry about bettering themselves while struggling to make tuition payments. But what about the students whose parents make too much to get any grant money, but their parents don’t have enough money or don’t want to pay for them going to college?

Tuition costs have raised very quickly compared to the amount of grants or scholarships available. In Indiana the university trustees set the tuition cost but many legislators are asking them to think about keeping it lower or not raise them at all (Kenly). The government thinks that the parents should be responsible for helping students pay until they are 24, married, a veteran, or have a child (Clark). This leaves a lot of students in need of help before any of these things happen.

For a student to file as in independent they first need to be 24 even if they are not living with their parents and are on their own. Many students would qualify for financial aid if they could file independently but this stipulation leaves them to flounder by them. Also if a student graduates at the age at 18 and goes to school for four years this would only make them twenty-two and they would never make it to get financial aid as an independent so, they would have to get loans unless they were awarded scholarships.

Having financial aid and grants from the government have helped a lot students go to college who otherwise couldn’t but it also leaves many students out who do not fit into the formula created for everyone. Going to college is a great way to better someone’s self but getting to the degree is much harder than just being a good student. Parents can only provide so much as well as the government but the rising cost of tuition with the financial far behind it is outrageous. It is understandable that universities need money to run themselves but the dramatic increase each year is something to wonder about.

This is a close to home topic for me because I fall in the bracket where my parents cannot afford my education, but I do not receive any financial aid so my only option is to get loans. The government cannot provide for everyone but making college more affordable for everyone would really help our nation rise up to be more competitive with other countries. It is very sad for students who are hard workers and have the ability to get a degree, but the price discourages them from accomplishing that goal. College is an important step in many peoples’ lives in the world today.

It is a requirement for many jobs and can help people reach more goals than without it. Some people believe that the need for college is greater than the sacrifice that is needed to get a degree. Even with the economy today college should be something that everyone should strive for no matter what the cost is. With a degree you can earn more money, get better jobs, and be more of an educated person. This is vital to many people in their everyday lives. With a college education you can earn double than having just a high school diploma (Longley).

This makes the debt and sacrifices people make to go to college very important to better themselves. Without those sacrifices a person could not get a better paying job and provide for their families or help better other things in their lives. The sacrifices that are needed to be made can be paid off with the bettering of oneself with a degree and to some this can be priceless. How the parents, student, and government look at the cost, the need for a degree, and how they will pay for it determines how much they are willing to sacrifice.

The need for a degree and the cost of getting a degree can be analyzed and give facts and figures of how important or how unimportant it is to struggle with things that are required to graduate. The good can outweigh the bad but getting there can be a hard process, but some believe that the way it is now is a fine way to get to the end goal, because the end goal can be so rewarding.

Works Cited

1. Carpenter, Dave “Cost of Degree is Forcing some to go to Plan B. ” Associated Press. 26 September 2010. http://www. msnbc. msn. om/id/39277351/ns/business- personal_finance/. 14 October 2010.

2. Clark, Kim “Should your kids pay for their college? ” 11 December 2009. http://www. usnews. com/articles/education/2009/12/11/should-your-kids-pay-for-college-themselves. html 15 October 2010.

3. Kenley, Luke “Response to High College Cost. ” Indianapolis Star. 20 September 2010. Print. 15 October 2010.

4. Longley, Robert “College Degree Nearly Doubles Annual Earnings” http://usgovinfo. about. com/od/censusandstatistics/a/collegepays. htm. 31 October 2010.

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