Students entering college this year are paying more than 500 dollars more than last year. Textbooks continue to rise in price, class sizes are getting bigger, and budget cuts around the world continue to rise. We have seen a dramatic increase in the price of tuition. Today the average college tuition with a full load is $6,385 compared to $655 in 1977. Why is this? We see a dramatic decline in government funding of public universities. The rising prices are only part of the shock awaiting parents.

The College Board warns that it now takes the average public university student six years to complete a degree. Private school students are taking an average of five years. This means parents should budget at least $79,000 to get today’s freshmen attending in-state public universities through graduation. The good news, however, is that many students who live at home and attend community colleges can still get an education at reasonable costs. After financial aid awards, they are paying an average net tuition cost of only $320 to carry a full course load. Adding $2,191 for books, supplies, and transportation brings the out-of-pocket costs for a year at the lowest-cost college option to $2,511. But even that’ is an increase of seven percent from last year.

Witnessing this brings one to ask, what should we do? Do we eliminate our teachers? Do we continue to add larger class sizes and make it harder for students to get into a particular class needed for graduation? We will wait to witness the future of students in United States. But for now save your money kids, or have mommy and daddy bail you out of your potential finical crisis of debt. Getting a degree is indispensible to ones future, but paying an arm and leg for these opportunities is absurd.

-Ryan Dacey

Central Michigan University