Dear Mr./Mrs. President,

          Now that you are in office, I would like to discuss a topic that I personally feel very strongly about. That is the topic of college tuition. According to the Institute of College Access and Success, in 2015, 68% of all students that went to a public school had an average of $30,000 of student loan debt each which was a 4% increase from the year before. I am a tenth grade student and starting to look at colleges; these numbers scare me. I believe that there are many very, very smart people in America right now, but they will not be able to be in the profession that they are passionate about or a job that they will excel in just because they can't afford it.

          I understand that college can't be free because there needs to be some way to pay the professors and to build bigger campuses, but it doesn't have to be as much as it is right now. Why should students who are only going to stay in a school for 4 years have to financially contribute so much? In 1993 the average college tuition was $9,188 per year and now it's about $35,200 per year. I'm not referring to the ivy league schools when I say that tuition has skyrocketed. Even if I wanted to go to a community college that was out of state I would still have to pay on average $23,893 per year.

          In addition, I believe that for some colleges, the amount of money that goes into sports can be lowered to help people that can’t afford to go to college. Colleges shouldn't completely cut out any extra-curricular activities, but simply not give as much as they are now and give it to people who without that money, can not go to college. If no money can be taken out of athletic programs, then I am asking politely, if the government can find some source of extra money to help lower the cost of college tuition for the leaders of the future, teenagers.

           I am part of the next generation and one day someone from my generation might be very intelligent and want to learn more but can not just because they can’t rack up enough money to pay for college. Money should not be the reason we withhold education from any American citizen.

Sincerely,

Esther