By Dyanna Garcia When thinking about going to college, there are many factors that may not be considered. One of the biggest stressors on a high school senior and their family, is finding the financial resources to help with the cost of attending a college. Low income families: Not every high school graduate plans on attending college, but the ones that do, may not have the financial resources to do so. Many young adults in the RCSD system are raised in a low income family. This means that many families cannot afford to send their children to college. The increased costs of education have made it difficult and stressful for a person to plan a successful future. Many high school students have dream careers that they cannot fulfill because they simply don’t have the money to do so. Top rated colleges and universities can be considered, but the amount of money you’ll have to pay back in the future might take a big toll on you. Future debt: Almost every person that is planning on attending college knows that they’re in for a long road of future debt. The more semesters you attend in college, the higher the cost will be. Student loans for recent college graduates can be up to $30,000. In the last 10 years college tuition has increased by more than 25%. CNBC news states, “During the 1978-1979 school year, it cost the modern equivalent of $17,680 per year to attend a private college and $8,250 per year to attend a public college. By the 2008 - 2009 school year those costs had grown to $38,720 at private colleges, and $16,460 at public colleges. Today, those costs are closer to $48,510 and $21,370, respectively. That means costs increased by roughly 25.3% at private colleges and about 29.8% at public colleges.” Books/ housing/ supplies: Along with tuition costs to attend college there are other expenses like books. Also living on campus adds another price point to college life. An article from U.S. News states, “Tuition isn't the only higher education expense that makes paying for college challenging – the price of books and supplies can add up quickly. According to the most recent survey data from the College Board, the average full-time, on-campus undergraduate at a four-year school is estimated to have spent $1,240 on books and supplies during the 2019-2020 academic year.” I’ve come to understand that portions of tuition go to funding of the college but other portions seem very large still, making it hard for low income families to afford to send their children to these colleges. If the college tuition weren’t so high, then more people could further their education and become the successful person that they dream to be.
1 Comment
Lynn Girven
2/1/2021 05:02:28 pm
It is hard. My daughters have so much debt from college. I feel badly, because we could not afford to send them on our dime. However, I firmly believe that your higher education enriches your life. Neither one of them are working in the fields they studied, but they learned how to learn and are providing for themselves independently. I wish it was free!
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
February 2024
Categories
All
|