Employers consider a degree necessary for getting a job at their company. However, not many people can afford college. The solution is to take out loans, then college becomes affordable. These loans create a whole different issue, student loan debt. This can affect people their whole lifetime and has been happening for years upon years. But, in the more recent years America is starting to shed more light onto the issue and are becoming curious on why colleges charge twenty five thousand dollars, or more, for a year of education. Many different countries offer free college, but in America student loan debt keeps getting worse. Many articles talk about the hierarchy of student loan debt. For example, those in the middle class or lower class …show more content…
It may conclude that student who pay by student loan feels more pressure to getting a job after graduate to be able to pay back for the loans. This motivates them to study hard because they realize that how much the importance of academic performance to get a job.” What does this mean? Those who are having to use loans are more pressured to find a job and work to pay off their debt, seeing as how it could last a lifetime and are having to work hard to maintain financial aid. Yet, for those who go to college with their parents funding their education, there isn’t as much pressure to succeed because the family has the ability to fund …show more content…
Doyle states in his article, “As of this writing, the total amount of outstanding student loan debt has been estimated at $960 billion (Kantrowitz, 2011).” Right now, there is only 7.4 billion people on earth, but not all of those people are in debt. So, massive debt with not near enough people to even cover the debt on the whole planet put this issue into perspective. Many people talk about applying for scholarships but scholarships can only cover so much of the price, and even then, the scholarships aren’t guaranteed. Now what about paying off the loans? How will that take? “First, incomes vary tremendously across different choices of majors and professions. Second, the incomes of individuals starting out in the labor market vary according to the state of the labor market at that time.” There are many different factors that go into this process. As stated in the previous paragraph, those who do both work and school are more apt to pay their debt off at a quicker pace. But, how much they make and how often they paid is another contributing factor. If the average college student is making minimum wage (part time) and is going to an in
One statistic that Owen and Sawhill presented was “Hamilton Project research shows that 23- to 25-year-olds with bachelor’s degrees make $12,000 more than high school graduates but by age 50, the gap has grown to $46,500 (Figure 1). When we look at lifetime earnings—the sum of earnings over a career—the total premium is $570,000 for a bachelor’s degree and $170,000 for an associate’s degree. (Owen, Sawhill pg 641). Owen and Sawhill also mention that “with tuitions rising faster than family incomes, the typical college student is now more dependent than in the past on loans, creating serious risks for the individual student and perhaps for the system as a whole, should widespread defaults occur in the future. Federal student loans now total close to $1 trillion, larger than credit card debt or auto loans and second only to mortgage debt on household balance sheets” (Owen, Sawhill pg 642). Basically, what the authors are saying is college is expensive, but for some career paths, the training and education received in college is necessary to have that job and the benefits outweigh the costs. With a high paying career where a college education is necessary, paying off student loans is no problem. On the other hand, people who go after low paying careers that don’t necessarily need a college degrees,
Martin and Lehren’s article “A Generation Hounded by the Soaring Cost of College” addresses the issue faced by current and former college students dealing with large amounts of debt due to student loans. The article presents the reader with stories of former college students who have either graduated or dropped out, and their struggle to pay off their student loans. The article also talks about issues such as students not being informed about high amounts of student loans and why student debts have increased. Martin and Lehren also make the issue of student debt more intimidating by giving examples of high amounts of student loans students have had. The article gives a very hard reality check to anyone reading as to how bad the problem of student debt is.
Wilson states that for the 65 percent of students that graduate with debt, the average amount owed is a staggering $20,000.00. On the contrary, as many as a third of all college students will graduate with no debt at all. Some may think that $20k is an outrageous amount of debt. But if you consider what the average adult spends on their first new car, it puts things into perspective. A new 2016 Nissan Rogue SUV for $20k could be paid off in an average of 4-5 years. This is where one would argue about what
An education is one of the most important tools a person can acquire. It gives them the skills and abilities to obtain a job, earn a wage, and then use that wage to better their lives and the lives of their loved ones. However, due to the seemingly exponential increase in the costs of obtaining a college degree, students are either being driven away entirely from earning a degree or taking out student loans which cripple their financial prospects well after graduation. Without question, the increasing national student loan debt is one of the most pressing economic issues the United States is dealing with, as students who are debt ridden are not able to consume and invest in the economy. Therefore, many politicians and students are calling on the government to forgive their student loan debts so that through their spending the slowly recovering economy can finally return to its pre-2008 strength.
The debt associated with higher education is one of the biggest factors of deterrence for most people who are interested in college, and it is not at all surprising. 71 % of college seniors who graduated last year had student loan debt, and the average debt for a college student with a four-year degree is $29,400.This number has gone up an average of 6 % each year. Keep in mind that this is just the average debt, and there are students who are in debt upwards of $30,000 dollars (projectonstudentdebt.org). Now in order to understand why the debt is so high it is best to break down the different costs of higher education. The first and most important of which is tuition.
Over the past decade, it has become evident to the students of the United States that in order to attain a well paying job they must seek a higher education. The higher education, usually a college or university, is practically required in order to succeed. To be able to attend these schools and receive a degree in a specific field it means money, and often a lot of it. For students, the need for a degree is strong, but the cost of going to college may stand in the way of a successful future. Each year the expense of college rises, resulting in the need for students to take out loans. Many students expect to immediately get a job after graduation, however, in more recent years the chances for college graduates to get a well paying job isn’t nearly as high as it used to be. Because students can no longer depend on getting a job fresh out of college, it has become harder to repay the loans. Without a steady income, these individuals have gone into debt and frequently default loans. If nothing is done to stop colleges and universities from increasing the cost of attending their school, the amount of time it takes for students to pay off their loans will become longer and longer. The extreme expenses to attend a college or university may leave a student in financial distress: which may ultimately lead to hardship in creating a living for them and affect the country’s economy.
When you graduate from college that is the time you start your life but many are not able to. Some people want to get married or start a family but cannot afford it at the time. By the time they receive their first check they instantly have to start paying their loans back. They are not able to afford rent/mortgage, utilities, or transportation because of it. Mishory O’Sullivan and Invincible (2012), “Found the average single student debtor would have to pay close to half of his or her monthly income toward student loans and mortgage payments. As a result, he or she would not qualify for an FHA loan or many private loans” (Elliott). A Survey ASA did on college students stated, “Student Loans were created to be an engine for social mobility, but they are, in fact, limiting young people’s ability to achieve financial success” (The Impact of Student). A student graduate mentioned, “Student debt weighs on every decision I make from
Attending college has changed quite a lot throughout the years. When it first arose, it was only accessible to the wealthy, and it was unheard of for everyone else. Only a few decades ago a bachelor degree could almost guarantee a comfortable job, and it was another advantage to any resume. In our current times, many students struggle and are unable to go to college due to the rising price tag that is not showing any signs of slowing down. A college degree is what most employers look for now-a-days, making it more essential than ever before. Unfortunately, it is becoming increasingly difficult to attain one. College tuition and fees should be lowered because 1) student loan debt is crippling for college graduates, 2) lower tuition will increase the accessibility of education, and 3) regulated tuition would lead to a
It is a norm and expectation in society today for students to pursue higher education after graduating from high school. College tuition is on the rise, and a lot of students have difficulty paying for their tuitions. To pay for their tuitions, most students have to take out loans and at the end of four years, those students end up in debt. Student loan debts are at an all time high with so many people graduating from college, and having difficulties finding jobs in their career fields, so they have difficulties paying off their student loans and, they also don’t have a full understanding of the term of the loans and their options if they are unable to repay.
Children of the twenty first century spend nearly 13 years in school, preparing for what is college, one of the only ways to achieve the so-called “American Dream”. College is the best way to start an advanced career and go further than one possibly could if college degrees were not available, allowing people to achieve their view of the American Dream; whether it be large houses, shiny cars, multiple kids, or financial comfort, college is the stepping stone to achieve the American Dream. But all great things come with a price, college dragging along debt. Students who attend college struggle to find ways to pay for it, leading to applying for student loans. These loans a great short term, paying for the schooling at the moment but eventually the money adds up
As people of many ages wish to further their education outside of high school, they tend to take out student loans in order to fulfill this wish since the large tuition payment is not in their budget. Paying for an education that presents a degree seems easy to many by taking out large loans to pay for their education. Recently, student loans have challenged the economy of Americans. Education is perceived as a necessary expense to many, in which they do not mind putting a burden on the economy for. Many people believe those loans can be paid off in a matter of a couple years. However, this idea is misguided as many people do not pay their student loans off until their early forties.
In an article written by Andrew Lehren, the author provides the bold statement that “the only thing worse than graduating with lots of debt is not going to college at all” (Lehren). In today 's society, many families lack the funds to provide a full ride for their children in terms of college. Due to this fact, many people turn to alternate solutions such as loans or diving straight into the workforce instead of attending college at all. These solutions, however, may greatly affect a person throughout the course of their life. The problem of college debt is increasing rates in regards to tuition, however, fortunately there are various solutions accessible in order to decrease or eliminate the debt that many american students face.
College debt is a universally known issue that remains one of society’s largest burdens today. Over the past ten years, high school students and graduates realized that they must seek a higher education in order to find a job that keeps food on the table. Attending a college or university is practically required in order to succeed in life today. Millions of people seek a higher education to pursue a degree, graduate, and acquire a quality job that supports their everyday needs. It often means a lot of money to pursue and earn a degree nowadays. What they don’t realize, is that paying their tuition and housing deposits is essentially signing a contract, costing them thousands of dollars in the near future and leading them down the dark path
When a student gets out of college the game plan is supposed to be, get a job in the field that you went to school for and make money so you can start your life. That particular situation is rare considering not all students get a job fresh out of college. For the students that don’t, they have to go back home and settle for a regular job and start paying off their giant student loans and put their life on hold. Even with having the job they wanted the student loans come right around the corner. After college is when the student’s life is supposed to start and the part where you get a car payment, pay rent, utilities, but none of that is possible when you add the enormous amount of money that the student will be in debt by. With the amount the students have to pay fresh out of college, more students are sacrificing more time struggling to pay off the student loans then they spent in school. Student loans are set-up in a way to be flawed and not always completely necessary to the student.
With the ever-increasing tuition and ever-tighten federal student aid, the number of students relying on student loan to fund a college education hits a historical peak. According to a survey conducted by an independent and nonprofit organization, two-thirds of college seniors graduated with loans in 2010, and each of them carried an average of $25,250 in debt. (Reed et. al., par. 2). My research question will focus on the profound effect of education debt on American college graduates’ lives, and my thesis statement will concentrate on the view that the education policymakers should improve financial aid programs and minimize the risks and adverse consequences of student loan borrowing.