It is a universal fact that college is not a cheap investment, and acquiring aid to help with the cost can be hard to come by. Due to the recent drop in the economy, it is almost necessary to have a college degree to get a job. The rising cost and necessity of a college education has raised a debate on the eligibility of financial aid and who exactly should obtain the aid. The main focus in the financial aid debate is whether or not aid should be based on merit or need. A simple way to put this is should the student from lower income families receive aid because money is tight, or should students with the best grades get money for working hard and gaining high grade point averages? When both sides are examined, merit-based aid seems like the best choice when it is compared to need-based aid. There are two different types of financial aid for college students, merit-based aid and need-based aid. Merit-based aid is given to students with good grades and allows them to not have to pay the full price of college tuition. This allows students who work hard in school to reap some form of reward for their efforts. Need-based aid gives students the ability to continue their education, when they would not have the money for college otherwise. The problem that is faced with the two kinds of aid is which party should receive the money, the hard working students or the lower class students? When first looking at the argument, need-based aid appears to be the best way for the government to spend their money, but it is not completely fair. Merit-based aid is the best way to fairly give financial aid for college. Need-based aid is often not backed up by a strong educational background, making it less reliable. If a student tr... ... middle of paper ... ...ov. 2013. . "Should More College Financial Aid Be Based on Need, Not Merit? ." The Wall Street Journal [Chicopee, Ma]. Dow Jones, 24 June 2012. Web. 6 Nov. 2013. . "Government Run Financial Aid Should Need or Merit-Based, Nothing Else." Western Herald. N.p., 14 Oct. 2009. Web. 6 Nov. 2013. . Marcus, Jon. "Financial aid not always going to neediest college students." Hechinger Report . N.p., 25 Nov. 2011. Web. 22 Nov. 2013. . Created using MLA Citation Maker on www.oslis.org.
Adding such merit based criteria to Pell Grants means there will be a wide variety of people who are not eligible and thus cheapens the program. Goldrick considered the last merit-based Pell Grant, the Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG). When it was implemented in 2006, the ACG gave the Pell Grant to students who took more rigorous high-school work. However, it served far less students than expected, adding substantially to administrative cost, and viewed as a failure (Goldrick, 3). Their idea behind this last-merit based program was to lessen the amount of people who were in need of the Pell Grant, and thus lessening cost. However, to improve its cost effectiveness there needs to be more low-income families enrolling in postsecondary schooling. Basing the Pell Grant off academic successfulness has proven ineffective and serves the opposite purpose of making college more affordable for all
Financial aid is money in the form of loans, grants and employment that is available to a student to help pay the cost of attending. Financial aid comes from the federal government, which is the largest provider of aid, as well as state government, the school and a variety of other public and private sources.
College is one of the largest financial burdens in today’s society for many. Since the recession, people often ponder what the best financial options for students looking to go to college are and what path they should take to get them there. Being able to read other’s opinions on said topic can be rather beneficial for one looking into the possibility of furthering his or her education. Mike Rose, faculty member at the Graduate School of Education and Information Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, and Karen Lawrence, the president of Sarah Lawrence College, have both shared their opinion for others to read by writing articles about this epidemic and stating what they believe to be the advantages and some of the possible downsides
As the high school chapter is coming to a close, many students have to make a decision that will affect the rest of their lives. Hopefully, for many that decision is to enroll in a college and attain a higher education. However, as tuition costs rise, students have to take a second look at their options for a better future. A community college is that second look for many because it is the less expensive option. From 2007-2009, enrollment for community colleges has increased by 24 percent (“College costs and the CPI”). Students aren’t choosing a college for educational purposes because they are overwhelmed by financial issues. They are attending community colleges so they will be able to graduate with a lower debt. Some seniors have wanted to attend a certain university all their life and they work toward that goal through grade school; however, they are hindered by soaring tuition for that college. Students should be able to attend a private university if they mee...
Funding inequalities has been an issue from past to present, especially in the low-income communities. In fact, students in urban areas with less funding have low attendance, score lower on standardize testing, a low graduation rate. Also subjected to outdated textbooks, old dilapidated buildings, Students in the inner cities need to compete with their suburban and wealthy counter-parts for this reason funding inequalities must end and more money should be directed to these communities from: federal, state, and local governments.
Today, due to state budget cuts, federal changes in student loans, unemployment, and reduced college endowments, economic issues weigh heavily on the minds of students. Cost, financial aid, and employment opportunities are the top factors in influencing students’ enrollment decisions for all types of colleges (Noel-Levitz 4). State universities have now become, in many cases, prohibitively expensive for many families. Financial aid at formerly generous private schools has dwindled and merit scholarships have gotten smaller or disappeared completely. In fact, 31% of students who did not enroll in their first-choice school said that their main reason was that they could not afford it (Vadala and Falkowski).
Colleges have become extremely expensive to the point where students drop-out or are unable to attend because of financial issues. With no more money issues, students can focus solely on the schoolwork without the idea of paying back excessive fees back in the future. They would become more focused in their studies with the idea that they will not be broke graduating from college. Although others argue that money fees create an incentive for students to work for their money, it leaves many unfortunate ones with the inability to attend any schools. By having no more tuition and material fees, students
Johnstone, Bruce. "Investing more equitably and efficiently in higher education, creating value for America." National Dialogue on Student Financial Aid (2003): 6-10. Print.
Increasing college costs has proven to be a major issue for those who pursue higher learning. With institutions raising tuition and fees, students are forced to make life-altering sacrifices to repay soaring student loans. We have come to a pivotal place in history, where individuals have no choice but to minimize or delay important life decision’s such as moving home with their parents to save money, becoming home owners, retirement saving and forfeiting higher education. The impact of increasing college costs has become so severe that it is at the forefront of politicians, political agenda, inducing conversation and policies like the revised income-driven repayment program. The program proposed to help combat the effects of massive student loans.
Under the present system, all students applying for federal aid file a form called the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This form is meant to figure out the amount of money a family is able to shell out for an education, or the Expected Family Contribution (EFC). Assuming the student does not qualify for independent status, both the expected contributions from the student and the parents are included in the EFC. In order for a student to get independent status you have to be married or over the age of twenty-four. After filing the FAFSA, the student will receive back a Student Aid Report (SAR) which includes the Expected Family Contribution. The way most schools determine the amount of aid you will receive is to subtract the Expected Family Contribution from the total costs of the university. Total costs include such things as tuition, room and board, insurance, and other miscellaneous expenses. The student receives the difference in loans and grants. A loan is financial aid that will have to be paid back, normally after the student graduates. A grant does not have to be paid back. A scholarship...
It would be very reasonable and fair for our government to offer free higher education to all students that are admitted to a university but can’t afford paying tuition fees. The three reasons why college education should be free of charge are because free college education will contribute to our entire country by providing equal opportunity for aspiring students, improving our economy, and increasing technological innovation. Majority of people agree that a college should be free and equal for everyone, despite a person’s status. In today’s economy, more than average students going into college show some concern with how to pay for college. Community college students also struggle not only to student loans, tuition fees, but other costs such as books, rooms, transportation, supplies.
Public colleges must be affordable to anyone who wishes to attend. If colleges lack to provide this to students, it can affect dropouts, a student’s ability focus, and cause stress. The problem of lack of funding is that colleges have insufficient funds. Therefore, the best possible solution for the problem of lack of funding would be increasing and collecting more funds from state taxes. Collecting funds from the state’s taxes is an effective solution because students get more academic support programs, which decreases dropouts.
The publisher of the University of Minnesota’s website offers up-to-date information relevant to the wide audience of potential students seeking a post-secondary education. The University of Minnesota recognizes that nontraditional students need flexibility in regards to scholarship criteria. Furthermore, the University of Minnesota offers grants in relationship with merit and need to nontraditional students who are enrolled in a wide variety of educational courses and programs. In like manner, the University of Minnesota views need as broadly defined taking into account factors like disability issues, previous access to education, time available for paid employment, and demands of juggling multiple roles of work, family, and community. For
4 | Page Should the U.S government provide more grants And scholarships for both graduate and undergraduate Students? By Rebekah Ingram March 14, 2017 Mr. Wilson – English 4 The Focus of the government provided welfare for students with the work relief of and large programs the government also provided with students with less advantages then others. Grants providing for graduates and ungraduated well thought out to get into college. Despite its work relief elements and large government programs, the New Deal is best understood as a defense of American capitalism because its main programs attempted to create a stable environment for private enterprise.
Fees and loans are too big of a load for young people to carry. A lot of students drop out do to the pressure of having to worry about all the loans they have to pay back after they are done with college. This should not be an issue to the student. According Iatham Emmmons, “Even worse, a large portion of students never receive funding at all due to the multitude of stipulations that must be adhered to in order to qualify for assistance. A major flaw in the current federal educational assistance programs is that the students’ parents’ income is used to calculate financial need” (Emmons 3). Even citizens who try to get help by applying for funding never end up getting it because they do not meet the needs required for the funding. Education should be p...