Rising Cost Of College

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Class Conflict
The Rising Costs of College

College is becoming more expensive and students are working over time to make ends meet. Brigit M. just graduated with a 4.0 GPA from a public college in southern New Jersey. She was a full time student, she worked off campus as a waitress, and she worked 8 to 12 hours a week on campus as a economics and writing tutor. Brigit had a scholarship but it did not cover other expenses such as books, transportation, and health care costs. She had a employer who worked with her school schedule but it was hard for her to come home from work at 11:00 p.m. and still have to write a paper that was due the next morning. Many college students cannot afford a college education without working long hours at …show more content…

Tuition is rising at public and private colleges, which is rising faster than most families’ incomes. Tuition is rising so fast because colleges and universities are receiving less funding of other kinds. Tuition is replacing other revenue sources such as donations, grants, contracts, and most significantly, state government appropriations to public sector institutions (Mutari, 304). Many college students work while they are attending college. According to the United States Department of Education in 1999-2000, almost three-fourths of all full-time college students work while attending school. The ratings have risen tremendously since this census. You would expect to see old adults employed but according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics high rates of employment among traditional age college students which is between the ages of 16 and 24. Working longs hours while taking on a full load of classes also impact student’s grades a lot. Students may struggle waking up for early classes and when you do not attend class that impacts your grades. Students who are working long hours to pay their tuition bills are also likely depending on financial aid. Financial aid helps but it does not help as much as it once did. Pell grant of $4,000 represents only 39% of the average costs of attending a four year public college (Mutari, 307). Grant aid per student has not kept up with the pace of rising

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