Over the past generation, there has been a significant decrease in the amount of college graduates. There are many reasons for this unfortunate occurrence, among them being a scarce availability of affordable higher education. To receive a decent college education, one must take out college loans and pay an exuberant percentage on all that is borrowed . Many people exhibit a reluctance to borrow even reasonable amounts, a condition known as debt aversion. Student borrowing is based on the idea that “a student’s future income will be more than able to cover the costs of getting a degree.” (Schumpeter Blog, 2011).
With many people seeking out higher education, there is a large demand for more affordable schooling. Many students seeking a college education cannot afford to pay out of pocket, so they turn to private student loans to help cover the cost of tuition. Now because of this per The Economist:” the total student debt in the United States has now exceeded 1.2 trillion dollars”. President Barack Obama stated as follows, “Over the past three decades, the average tuition at a public four-year college has more than tripled, while a typical family’s income has barely budged.” Solutions have been proposed stating why education should be made more affordable and in some cases, free. Although the bulk of these options have some basic flaws, they are the
Pros and Cons of Attending College Tyree Thomas Zane State College In 2013, 19.9 million students were enrolled in colleges and universities (college, 2014). Also in 2013, the unemployment rate for college graduates over 25 was 3.6 percent (college, 2014). Those are both great examples of a pro and a con of attending college. Although, attending college has many pros and cons. Most college graduates make more money, but student loan debt is crippling them.
Another reason why students are dropping out of college today is because of the tremendous increase in tuition. Tuition is becoming unaffordable to many students because of the economy and budget cuts, students have to rely on an outside income. Although the boards and government are trying to fix this problem, if the economy doesn’t get better the tuition will continue to rise. The students shouldn’t suffer because of other political issues. In this generation college is very important and finding a career is competitive, therefore education and obtaining a degree is very helpful.
Why does a college degree cost so much? These days most of the successful people are well educated because they have learned to become one. Government is cutting the education fund over the years because they want to spend more money on something which is unimportant. The discussion over if college education is worth it, was started when the pilgrims landed from Europe also established "New College" in 1636. College tuition has been increasing over the past few decades and its destroying so many dreams.
The best use of federal government anti-poverty funds is not another welfare or assistance program; it is to make college education affordable for everyone. A high school education is no longer sufficient to succeed in America’s increasingly complex economy. However, because of the high price point of a college education, far too many Americans are unable to afford education beyond high school. As shown in the graph below, the higher level of education received greatly increases the chances for employment and also dramatically increases the average salary potential of an individual. (College Board) With more Americans falling to the lower middle class, (Curtis) action needs to be taken to ensure that young Americans are not priced out of college because the price of tuition is so high.
According to Abel and Deitz, “In recent years, students have been paying more to attend college and earning less upon graduation—trends that have led many observers to question whether a college education remains a good investment” (2014, p. 1). If the student cannot find a job that pays a decent amount of money, after graduation why should the government ‘fund it?. College costs are rising each year. Future generations may not be able to go to college because tuition will be too high. But Abel and Deitz explain the reasoning behind it, “The return has remained high in spite of rising tuition and falling earnings because the wages of those without a college degree have also been falling, keeping the college wage premium near an all-time high while reducing the opportunity cost of going to school” (2014, p. 1).
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.
College tuition has a bad name to it, and for a good reason. More students and paying parents are feeling defeated attempting to pay off loans that typically hang over a students head for a good amount of years after finishing their education and getting their degrees. While the government has attempted to try chip away at the $1.2 trillion debt that has accumulated for college students around the United States, they are no where near having a permanent solution that lets graduates get on with their life without struggling. There are a spectrum of problems that create this debt, and only a few solutions that match up with these problems. Tuition in colleges go up typically every year, both in four year and two year schools.
However, what they have to pay back is often more than the degree is worth in terms of income. The cost of college has increased by three hundred and seventy five percent, but house hold income has raised only one hundred and twenty seven percent. The government continues to tell student to pursue education and society believes that education is the best way to go. However, the value of a college education, based on earning potential, after graduation, is falling. Based on research, some students are intimidated by the amount of money they will eventually have to pay back.