United States has seen major developments in every field, may it be technology, medicine, movies, and many more; however, one field that still needs a major revolution is Education. It is a harsh truth that education comes with a price; and U.S. is reputed as one of the costly nation to attend school. So, are the education costs decreasing the graduation percentage? I believe, the key contributor is the nationwide increase in the tuition costs that is resulting in the decrease of graduates, as the students are unable to meet the expense of the tuition costs imposed by the schools, colleges and universities.
I believe that college tuition must be affordable for one and all, and for all economic levels of the society. Starting from the kids till the adults, everyone from every corner of the nation likes to go to the college. Should the colleges close their doors on the people who cannot afford the fees? Many people initially begin with the community colleges after leaving high school because these colleges are very cheaper. Few people do not start college after high school as they want to work and save to attend a good college. These are a few examples to voice out why the cost of college tuition must be lowered?
In 2007 the average tuition and fees at four-year public colleges rose 6.6 percent, and four-year private college rose 6.3 percent bettering growths in economic aid and forcing students into loans, and community colleges once again did not increase the prices . Are people more in need of community colleges? Are the other colleges really worth the money they take?
In my opinion the college tuition must be lowered to reduce the debt on students who opt for loans to meet the tuition fees. Increase in crime rates can directly be accounted with the increase in college tuition. The colleges can see an increase in enrollment when equal opportunities are provided to all the students irrespective of their family economic background. Can the lower income families raise their social status with the increase in college tuition? If the college tuition is not lowered, then people from lower income families will never be able to increase their social status, as they would not get any good opportunities. If college tuition keeps rising every year, it is possible that the lower and middle class families will stop sending their children to college.
The increased financial aid costs or lowering the tuition fees, both mean that less money will be available to spend on the academic functions of the university . Why the students should be penalized by increasing the tuition fee for the academic functions? Though there are Financial Aid and grants, I believe the students must be spared of the tuition fees as it is every student’s human right to get quality education. Do these universities also offer tuition discounts? In the past 20 years, private universities have provided tuition discounting, resulting in an increase in average list price. In 1993, the discount rate at private universities was approximately 25%; ten years later it reached 32%, which means that list-price tuition increased by 30%, but the discount value remained the same .
As stated by , financial aid programs can be simplified so that students can make better choices earlier in the application process, to reduce their loan burden later. Solving the affordability issues requires strong policies that gets ahead of tampering with the higher education programs. In my opinion, the colleges can lower the tuition fees by dual enrollment; in community college and a four year higher education degree in public universities, or by establishing a three year bachelor’s program, increase teacher workload, and finally move the classes online.
Works Cited
Ehrenberg, Ronald G. Tuition Rising. Illustrated, Revised. Harvard University Press, 2002. Print.
Feldman, David H. Myths and Realities about Rising College Tuition. 03 March 2012. Web. 13 November 2014. <http://www.nasfaa.org/advocacy/perspectives/articles/Myths_and_Realities_about_Rising_College_Tuition.aspx>.
Pope, Justin. College tuition and fees rise 6.6 pct. 22 October 2007. Web. <http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1914730/posts>.
