Students across the country would benefit from lower college tuition expenses

by Kayla C.

Many AHS students, especially seniors, are looking into attending college after high school. When looking at colleges one is interested in attending, there are many factors to consider such as location, acceptance rate, graduation rate, etc., but one of the biggest things to consider is the cost of tuition.

For the average student, college is very expensive and could potentially lead to student debt if one is unable to receive financial help. For example, according to the University of South Carolina, the estimated cost to attend USC in the 2023-2024 school year is around $30,402, which is actually relatively low compared to other schools, especially private colleges. These costs do include tuition, housing, meals, books, and supplies. According to an article from the National Center for Education Statistics, in 2021–22 the average total cost of attendance for first-time, full-time undergraduate students living on campus at 4-year institutions was higher at private nonprofit institutions ($55,800) than at private for-profit institutions ($32,900) and public institutions ($26,000). Some say that the price of college is defensible, that a student can work extra hard and receive scholarships to combat the cost if parents cannot pay or loans are out of the question, and that lowering tuition would mean raising taxes, which isn’t a good idea. Others say that cheaper college is beneficial.

The bottom line is this: Attending college should be more affordable so the youth of the United States have a better chance of expanding their education past high school.

If colleges across the country made tuition more affordable, more people would be able to attend. According to Inside Higher Ed, research shows that out of the people who were in ninth grade a decade ago, 78% of those in the top quintile of socioeconomic class attended college while only 28% in the lowest quintile attended. What this means is that wealthier people are attending college at higher rates than poorer people. Also those in the highest quintile that attended college, 78% achieved a bachelor's degree while 32% in the lowest quintile received a bachelor's degree and 42% got their associates degree. Again, these data prove that poorer people attend college less often than wealthier people, making college feel like a privilege for the elite than a fair institution accessible to all. It is no coincidence that there are less people in the lower economic classes not attending college for as long as the highest quintile or even attending at all. It is unfair that people are not able to achieve their education goals just because of their socioeconomic class. Lower tuition would certainly help, but free college for all would balance out accessibility and put the emphasis on merit not familial wealth. According to The Balance, free tuition boosts students' morale about attending college and increases graduation rates. Not everyone who cannot afford college themselves is able to seek financial aid. Even though someone in the lower class could have the same intelligence level, or higher, than someone in the upper class but can’t attend college because of expenses is unfair. If tuition was not so expensive it would make getting higher education much more fair for the youth.

Not only does the cost of college prevent people from attending, but those who do attend can experience major effects to their finances. For example, individuals could be put into debt from the outrageous prices. As reported by Lending Tree, data from the EDI shows that students who carry loan debt are 36% less likely to purchase real estate. But this isn’t the only setback that student debt can cause. President and founder of the Institute of Student Loan Advisors, Betsy Mayotte remarked that many adult milestones are being delayed by student debt such as getting married, having children, and retirement. According to CNBC, over half of 2024 college graduates are expecting to carry debt with them after graduation. Within that group, 70% of the students said that their debt will impact their career plans. 17% said that their debt would not affect their career decisions and 14% were neutral on the idea. Not only does student loan debt hold individuals back from making major purchases, but it affects the careers in which young adults enter. For example, say it has been your life long dream to be a teacher and you attend college to get a bachelor's degree in education, but you take on so much student debt from getting your degree that a teacher's salary won't pay enough for you to live comfortably. Because of student debt, many individuals are forced to take on jobs that aren’t ideal in what they originally envisioned. People should not have to potentially choose between working at their dream job or working at a job they don’t really enjoy to have to pay the bills.

While student debt can prolong individuals from meeting milestones during their adult years, it also can take a huge toll on one's mental health. According to a study conducted by ELVTR, out of the Americans who have taken on student debt 56% have experienced anxiety, 32% have experienced depression, 20% have experienced insomnia, 17% have experienced panic attacks, and 10% have experienced other mental health problems. Not being able to pay off debt can majorly affect one's lifestyle and it is no surprise that with the outrageous cost of college tuition many people are experiencing their mental health declining. Some individuals who experience mental health problems turn to addictions as a way to cope. According to Independent, recent studies have shown that students who struggle with debt are more likely to rely on alcohol and the dependency is likely to worsen overtime. Attending college is supposed to be a way to improve your future, but instead many are faced with their mental health spiraling due to the outrageous debt they have to pay.

Although there are many obvious negatives to the price of college, some would argue that it is a good thing. People with this opposing viewpoint may think that the expenses are overall positive as they help young adults learn money management. Others believe that these education would be taken less seriously if college wasn’t as costly, or even free. Along with that idea some believe that if more people were able to attend college, degrees would lose their value. These views do not make sense as many students who attend college with today’s high prices are not good at managing their money. Money management is a personal responsibility and relies heavily on the individual person, not the cost of the college they attend. The same applies to whether or not someone takes college seriously. Many individuals today do not put full effort into their education, once again it all depends on the person. Also, I do not believe that more people attending college would make a degree lose its value. I think that more jobs could be created for more people getting degrees in certain fields.

When the topic of whether college should cost less or not is brought up, there are many different opinions. AHS student Heidi D. says, “My knee jerk reaction is to say that college tuition should absolutely be cheaper. And it likely should be. However, I would like to see a spreadsheet of everything that students' tuition money goes towards before forming a definite opinion.”

“It would definitely be awesome if college tuition wasn’t crazy expensive. Luckily some people are able to get scholarships and stuff but not everyone is that fortunate,” said another AHS student.

Overall, students across the country--and especially our seniors planning to matriculate college in the fall--would absolutely benefit from lower college tuition expenses. If attending college was made more affordable to the average person, more people could enroll and further their education. Also, there would be a lot less young adults who are drowning in debt and in turn have to get a late start on major life goals. There would also be a huge decrease in mental health and addiction problems in college students. There are so many benefits to lower tuition so let’s not stay quiet about it, bring attention to the many underlying problems that college tuition causes to students all across the United States today.