Rising College Tuition Fees: The Burden on Students and the Soaring Costs of Education

In this report we will discuss about rising college tuition fees and below are the summaries point:- Tuition fees in the United States have skyrocketed, with a 1000% increase since the 1960s. The average cost of a four-year undergraduate program at a public institution is projected to reach $205,000 by 2030. Rising college tuition fees pose a significant financial burden on students, forcing many to take on more loans or forgo education altogether.

Running head: RISING COLLEGE TUITION FEES
RISING COLLEGE TUITION FEES
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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The nightmarish rise of tuition fees in the United States of America have begun ever
since the 1960s. Estimates calculated in the year 2018 show that there has been a rise in the level
of the tuition fees by 1000 percent, ever since the 1960s. Back then the tuition fees for a public
college offering the two year course was 475 dollars per annum, while the current rate is 3419
dollars. College tuition fees can be even as high as 3570 dollars annually. The tuition fees for a
full time undergraduate course for the scholastic year 2016-17 was 13,890 dollars, and the total
cost of the same course had been appropriated up to 14,530 dollars for the year 2017-18
(Morris). The calculated percentage of rise has been at around 4.6 percentage. This is an account
of the course fees that a public institution charges. The cost of availing education at a private non
profit institution can reach up to 40,000 dollars, for a four year undergraduate programme.
According to the statistical data provided by the Department of Education of the country, the
steady rate of increase in the tuition fees over the last decade, each year has been at around 6.5
percentage. The ministry has also predicted that the rate of tuition fees is expected to shoot up to
44,047 dollars annually by te year 2030, thereby making a full time four year undergraduate
programme to cost at around 205,000 dollars (Fincher).
This is just an account of the tuition fees, the actual total cost of availing of education is
in reality way more than the estimates provided. This is indeed a matter of concern for the
students who lead a life on budget, and the rising cost of education shall be forcing them to take
more loans in order to supplement their scholarly pursuits. It would not be surprising to assume
that in the years to come, with the falling of the average income of households, education shall
become unaffordable for the students, and many shall either have to quit their studies midway, or
they might as well not pursue education at all (Bleemer et al).

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John D. Rockefeller had opined that back in the year 1927 most students either pursued
an occupation at the ministry, or they took up low paying jobs which benefitted the society. Back
in those days keeping the tuition fees low was reasonable. However with the turn of the 20th
century, when the social and the economic situations started changing gradually, the value
perceptions and the ultimate purpose of pursuing education also underwent a drastic
paradigmatic metamorphosis. The students tended to become more ambitious gradually and they
started pursuing careers which were highly lucrative and education became the key to reach to
that goal. Hence the system of providing loans had been established to support the students, as
per the views of Rockefeller (Goldrick-Rab and Kelly).
The system of dishing out loan facilities to the students to support them in their scholarly
pursuits has become a business given the fact that education is necessary for bagging a job that
pays well. The down payment time limit being within ten years post the date of graduation, also
enthused the students to take loans. Inflation is a normal phenomenon, and a slow but steady rate
of inflation is desirable for the sustenance of an economy in a healthy manner. However, the rate
of inflation if exceeds the rate of income of the general population, then that is a problem. The
rate of the rise of the college tuition fees is eight times higher than the rise on the wages in the
country as per the current statistical data published in the year 2018 (Kim and Ko). Over the
years, education has become a business activity with the mushrooming of the educational
institutions throughout the country, and also because of the high demand among students both
domestically as well as internationally. As the number of colleges are increasing the need for
recruiting more faculty members is also being faced. The reluctance of the government to do
anything substantial in this respect to help the students out with easening the burden of their debt
is also astonishing. President Obama had through his scheme of Obama care had tried to help

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students out, but with the election of Trump as the President the privileges have been abolished.
Trump has rather cut down state funds to the education sector. It is indeed a sorry state of affair
and the government must do something in this regard. The problems of the education sector
cannot be solved until and unless the economic problems are solved, as both are intertwined
(Huelsman).

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References
Bleemer, Zachary, et al. "Echoes of rising tuition in students’ borrowing, educational attainment,
and homeownership in post-recession America." (2017).
Fincher, Mark Edward. "More Than Tuition And Fees: The Real Costs Of Going Away To
College." Southern Regional Council of Educational Administration 17.1 (2017).
Goldrick-Rab, Sara, and Andrew P. Kelly. "Should community college be free? Education next
talks with Sara Goldrick-Rab and Andrew P. Kelly." Education Next 16.1 (2016): 54-61.
Huelsman, Mark. "The Unaffordable Era: A 50 State Look at Rising College Prices and the New
American Student." Demos, February 22 (2018): 18.
Kim, Mikyong Minsun, and Jangwan Ko. "The impacts of state control policies on college
tuition increase." Educational Policy 29.5 (2015): 815-838.
Morris, Catherine. "America's College Promise Act Will Impact 9 Million at Community
Colleges and MSIs." Diverse Issues in Higher Education 32.14 (2015): 7.