Dear President,

I think that college tuition should be affordable for families of any income level. As a future college student, I want to make sure I'm not only ready for college, but that it will be financially manageable. However, the average cost of college ranges from $10,000 per year for a state college to $60,000 a year for a top university. This adds up to $40,000 to $240,000 for a four year degree. Don't you feel that this creates serious challenges for low income and middle class families? As a middle class family with three kids to put through college, these costs will be a strain for our family, or will create debt that we need to pay off for a long time into the future.

A majority of people think that government should help make college affordable. According to a poll published by debate.org, 71% of people said that the government should control the cost of college tuition. Some of the reasons provided were:

“If college tuition costs were controlled by the government a large percentage of students would be able to afford a college that best supports their educational needs, which would encourage more students to finish High School and be able to see achievement in working for a job that makes a lot more money.”

“If the price was finally controlled there would be more students trying to get a further education besides high school. This would not only help this one person out by giving them a future, but also our nation as a whole as it begins to grow.”

“More and more jobs with better pay require at least an associate’s degree. A lot of them are requiring bachelor's. With affordable education this can be made possible…. The government federal or state needs to step in and control this by making college more affordable.”

According to statistica.com, only a third of the population gets a college education; that should be far higher. The middle class, which is one the most important groups for supplying an educated and skilled workforce, gets less financial incentive to go to college. The wealthy can afford to send their kids to college, and the lower income families get need-based financial aid for college. This means the middle class students have the least amount of support and encouragement to get a good education. We need a system that gives financial support to not only low income families, but middle class as well.

High-priced tuitions are affecting our country’s future. There are not enough people studying for skilled careers because they can't afford them, and the U.S is less competitive as a world leader than we should be. This is America, and people can be whatever they want; imagine if someone worked through high school wanting to be a lawyer and had the skills to go to law school, but couldn't afford it. We need to lower high priced tuitions to help people of all income levels to achieve their goals; this will help our entire country and economy. President Barack Obama said, “Education is an economic issue when nearly eight in 10 new jobs will require workforce training or higher education by the end of this decade. Education is an economic issue when we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that countries that out-educate us today will outcompete us tomorrow.”

President Obama is saying because of our high priced tuitions, other countries are outcompeting us because they have affordable education, and it is affecting our economy. We can be a better country if we lower high priced tuitions. People with a higher education means people with a better future. I have two sisters, one of them goes to high school with me and one that goes to the University of Minnesota. My parents want to make sure that all three of their children get through college. In summary, lowering tuitions could not only help people who can’t afford the high cost of college, but would help the country as a whole.

Sincerely,

Everett