Dear President,

For something that can be so essential to succeed in life, college can also be very expensive. College is a huge milestone in a person’s life but it can consume their entire income. Due to college costs rising by thousands of dollars graduating with no student debt has become an anomaly that people struggle with even after college and into their daily life.

At a public four year college or a state college, the cheaper alternatives to a university, prices range from $3,000 - $7,000 per year. That’s not including pricing for housing, textbooks, or meal plans. According to The College Board, the average range of tuition rises by 3.7% in private schools every year and 2.9% in public universities. With increases such as this it is just another reason to not attend college or to lose motivation to go in the first place. Those able to afford college usually have some sort of financial aid. This leaves over fifty percent of the graduating students in debt when they aren’t able to pay it all off. Jacky Sierra, a fellow student experiencing this problem, suggests the idea that the U.S should increase the grants given out for a student entering college. She also mentions President Obama’s Student Loan Forgiveness Program. This is for students that have federal loans and don’t qualify for the pay as you earn system. After 20 years of 10% of your disposable income being taxed your balance is forgiven. Some European colleges have already taken action and don’t have any tuition fees. America is at a good start with Obama’s program; we just need to take little closer look at pricing and give it some revising.

Our country's future depends on the younger generations of today’s day. If college tuition rates keep rising, our future generations can grow resentful from the debt they are in. For such a crucial part of life that is necessary to succeed, having it at such a high price can lead to suffering of multiple families trying to provide an education for their child. It’s unfair to make someone struggling financially to work harder in order to get the same education, but with loans and financial aid, that as someone who is financially secure. This is a growing problem that will continue to grow if action is not taken upon this issue. Getting into colleges now is far more difficult than any other point in history.

From,

Rhea L.