College Tuition Cost

There are currently 44.2 million Americans that are in debt from student loans totaling 1.48 trillion dollars (“A Look”). This statistic continues to increase over the years and is not anticipated to decelerate. The outlook that high school seniors possess towards college can sometimes be melancholy, especially for those who are uncertain of their career paths and are trying to make their time spent in college the most efficient. Furthermore, these expenses also discourage students from attending college. The primary reasons that college tuition costs are unmanageable are because of the monetary shortage that most college-age students are afflicted with and that the means to compensate for college expenses are entirely insufficient for the …show more content…
However, this outlook has slowly transitioned to one of a more grim and uncertain degree. Higher education originated in 1636 when Harvard University was established as the first Colonial College (Faust). Attending college initially appealed to those who wished to further the limited amount of knowledge they could receive from their home life (Peterson). Most of the programs of study available at the time were in theology, divinity, and the languages; these education systems also instilled a sense of desired political independence for those who attended (Moses). Unfortunately, the concept of attending college was unrealistic for many due to the expense of a college education. Today, the thought of attending college still leaves many in a state of financial insecurity and dreadfulness due to the probable mass of debt that will follow. Naturally, the cost of college is controversial because many believe that the employment opportunities that come from receiving a college degree can compensate for the debt that people acquire and that there are numerous ways to prevent yourself from falling into debt while in college. However, many of these people are ignorant of the true financial burdens that college can produce and how it affects the lives of those …show more content…
In the article, "Poorest Students Feel the Bite of Rising College Costs; Higher Tuition, Living Expenses Drive an Increased Loan Burden," senior education-policy analyst at the New America Foundation, Stephen Burd, states that attending college can leave underprivileged families in an even more financially-unstable condition than they were in before. (qtd. in Hefling). Underprivileged adolescents attempting to better their lives by pursuing a college degree are sometimes prevented from doing so due to the financial risk and burden. Since 1982, the typical family income has increased by 147%, while since 1985, college costs have increased by nearly 500% (Odland). This dramatic monetary imbalance contributes greatly to the unmanageable costs that colleges place on the families of ambitious students. This also affects the financially-stable; the large mass of money that is necessary to pay for college is impossible to naturally fit into a family’s budget regardless of their wealth status. Spending must become mindful in all other aspects of their lives to reserve enough for the expense of their student’s college education. The only benefactor of the astronomical prices for college enrollment are the establishments and powers that have regulated these

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