Dear Future President of The United States,

I'm writing this letter to call to attention the problem with rising college tuitions and their effects on students. Every year, millions of high school graduates continue their education by going to college. While the number of college students is on the rise, so is the price of tuition to these colleges. The cost of tuition is rising at a fairly rapid pace that is faster than inflation. If the price to go to these schools continues to increase, college might become exclusive to people who can afford to pay off these expensive student loans and fees.

College tuition costs have been on the rise for the last 40 years. The CNBC states that tuition for Harvard has jumped up to $45,278, which is 17 times what it was back in 1971-72. Some people would argue that this increase is because of inflation, but if the tuition increase followed inflation since 1971, the current tuition cost would only be $15,189. This great rise in cost is because the government funding for colleges is being stretched thin. While more colleges require more money to accommodate for more students and more research, government funding for these colleges isn't increasing as fast. These fees are instead given to the families and students who go to the college. The problem arises when these fees become too expensive, and it now limits people in the long run. With these high tuitions costs, students now have to delay big life purchases, like a house and a car. High fees also pressure students to do well in school not so they can get into their dream college, but so they can get scholarships that can help pay for tuition.

The easy solution would just be to create free colleges, but that would not properly solve the problem. According to The New York Times, free college would only push those fees and expenses onto taxpayers. It would also limit colleges to what taxpayers are willing to spend, which could lead to schools that don't meet the expectations of students. Schools might also need to begin turning away new enrollers. One example of such a situation is in California, a state where college tuitions can be very cheap. Because of the increase of students and the low tuition costs, schools had to turn away 600,000 students. They couldn't afford to take all of these students while also keeping tuition low, so they had to turn down students who were trying to enroll. In order to properly accommodate for these students, colleges need to charge students a fair amount for tuition.

The best way to fix the problem is to find a middle ground of funding. Students should have to pay for their tuition, but the state and national governments should fund these colleges more so the price of tuition won't continue to rise. It's crucial for these colleges to continue to provide higher education at a cost that doesn't heavily restrict the people who enroll. Students need the education so they can get the jobs they want, but current tuition restricts what they can do after college. If the government can provide fair funding to these colleges, graduates can prosper in their life after school without being chained down by their student loans.

Sincerely,

Kyle, a high school student from Minnesota