College Tuition Essay

There’s no escaping the fact that college cost are rising. According to recently released reports from the College Board, most students and their families can expert to pay, on average, from $95 to $1,404 more than last year for this year’s tuition and fees, depending on the type of college. (Collegeboard. com) The United States needs to lower the cost of college tuition; because students and parents have had to pay double the amount of money for schooling then they would have ten years ago. In the past five years, the average cost of in-state tuition and fees at public colleges has jumped thirty-five percent. In the past twenty-five years, the average cost of tuition and fees has risen faster than personal income, consumer prices and even health insurance. In 1999 students had to pay $2,489 for universities and $865 for community college. In 2003 the price rose from $3,441 for universities and $1,120 for community college. In 2006 the price jumped to $4,867 for universities and $1,483 for community college. Between 1999 and 2006 there was a 95. 54 percent change in the universities pay and a 71. 45 percent change for community colleges. There is no denying the fact that college tuition has doubled in prices (USAtoday. com). According to stateuniversity. com Blinn College undergraduate tuition for in-district students is $1,260, for in-state $2,478 and for out of state $5670; not including the undergraduate required fee which is $1,176 for all three districts. For tuition alone you are spending between $2,436 and $6,846. Now if you add in books and supplies which runs between $946 and $995. You also can not forget about room and board which can run $5,888 to $6,047 (stateuniversity. com). If you add that all together for Blinn College you are expected to spend roughly $9,270 to attend Blinn College for a semester. A small reduction in state support may result in a large increase in tuition. We help pay for maintaining access for handicapped students; Meetings environmental requirements; screening international students; and conforming to historical preservation requirements. If you think about it we are helping out the school and students. Prices increase as colleges compete for students to come to there college. Of course there are scholarships and financial aid, but not everyone can qualify for them. Paul Middendorf, 54, Richmond, Texas says, â€Å"†¦. When my first son, now twenty-six, applied for college, he applied for dozens of scholarships but was told they earned too much money to qualify for financial aid. † They had to finance their children’s college education with a mix of savings and federal parent loans. (USAtoday. com) According msnbc. msn. com; a companion report released on trends in student aid in grant aid – money students do not have to pay back – have covered only about one-third of the increase at public four year schools. Students are footing more and more of the bill with private loans from banks and student loans companies. Undergraduate private borrowing grew twelve percent to $14. 5 billion in 2006-2007. The rate of increase in total private borrowing for education has slowed, but borrowing has increased over the last decade. Legislators are tired of taking the blame for the escalating price of a college education, and some – mainly Democrats – say they want to resume setting tuition themselves. University leaders argue that the additional money is crucial for attracting and retaining top faculty. (chron. com) Students and families are caught in the middle. â€Å"With tuition and gas, it is hard to make end’s meet,† said Charlotte Atkinson, 26, a senior at the University of Houston. Instead of having to digest such an immense amount of information, students and their families should be able to apply for financial aid by making a note on their tax returns (a solution advocated by Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama). It is hard to even realize that money is such a big factor in our lives today. Based on the information I have given you it is a fact that the cost of college tuition needs to be lowered so that more students can attend and pay for college.