We Need to Make College More Affordable
The cost of college makes it more difficult for students to continue their education.
Dear Mr. Trump,
About three years ago, my brother had registered for college. I recall him stressing out about the price, even over textbooks. He begged my parents for their help. I am sure many students can relate to this, with college being so expensive nowadays. Around 1947, this wasn’t such a struggle. The average American family earned below $13,000 a year. Four-year private colleges cost around $2,000 per year, while public colleges only cost about $510.
Today, there is a big difference in college fees, with prices now being greater than the inflation rate. The average price to attend a private college is $32,762 and $18,943 for in-state public colleges, including room and board. Also, on average, students pay $1,200 just for their textbooks. Not too many students are happy about this, especially with the continuous increasing rate. This makes students question if they should even continue their education. The amount of students enrolled into college has decreased by about 6%. This can be due to the fact that they cannot pay their living expenses, while at the same time spend thousands of dollars on college that they might not even have, or that financial aid won't cover. Some college students can’t even graduate on time because they can’t get the classes they need for their major. There’s about 44 million Americans with student loan debt. The average amount is $37,172. The total in student loan debt is $1.2 trillion! In some cases, working won’t help pay on time, because of the tuition rate. It has increased by about 80% in the past 10 years. “Now, Rebekah is working two jobs to keep pace with her expenses. She’s not sure how’ll she’ll survive in the fall, when tuition may rise again by 9.3%.” (The New York Times, 2016) How will this impact the lives of future generations? How does this help set up students for success? Since there are many Americans struggling with paying for tuition, there should be a change to make colleges more affordable. The government is able to support everyone’s education, but fails to do so by distributing aid unevenly. Is the price worth what it is, for all of the support that students get?