The Benefits Of Attending College Tuition

Most students plan to attend college after graduating high school. Having the college experience is everyone’s dream, especially High School students who are ready to get out into the world and explore all the new things there are out there. College is very important for furthering someone’s career, but no one thinks about all the costs and the stress that comes along with college. Many people only think about the fun and new opportunities they will have but they do not think about how much it costs to have all of this. Tuition fees and costs are increasing more and more each year. Nowadays it feels like you have to be a millionaire just to attend a good college and get a good degree in what someone is attending college for. These costs could

specifically affect students who choose a career in which they need to attend college for 8+ years. Some students even choose to switch career paths and with the increasing tuitions this could hit them hard. There are some students that do not have a lot of money and live on very little with their parents, but indeed are very smart and have a 4.0 GPA. Those students are the ones that are unable to attend college if they cannot afford it.

These students do have the opportunities to apply for scholarships but not all scholarships supply the adequate amount needed to live comfortably throughout their time in college. No one should be stopped from attending college just because they cannot afford it. College tuition is too expensive, the money students pay to go to college does not go towards anything that will further their education; it causes students to stress and leaves them in financial debt for years after they graduate, and it can also lower the chance for students with low-income families to get the chance to go to college. These are all of the reasons why college should be free.
The real question is, is why is college tuition so expensive in the first place? Most people may not know where of all of the money goes when paying of college. The money goes towards a few things. If students do not get scholarships the first thing the student will be paying for out of pocket is books. In most cases these books have to be paid for out of pocket by the student. Books alone are hundreds of dollars. That is a really hefty charge for someone to have to pay for themselves. Some students may have to acquire loans to pay for

their books. Some scholarships may cover the costs of books but it would not cover any of the other expenses that comes with college. Another large sum of money a student has to pay when going to college is the cost of room and board. According to the College Board, the average cost of room and board at a four-year public institution is $8,535 per year. That means if a student goes to college for four years they will have to pay $34,140 just for their room and board. That is thousands of dollars just for the student’s housing. This does not include the amount of books or anything else that the student would need. That dollar amount does not even include all of the food and extra things that college students have to pay for throughout their years of being at college. That is way too much money to be paying for housing alone. The students end up paying way more even after that and after you add up their average spending costs throughout the year and their tuition cost to their housing costs. College is even more expensive if the student is unable to get student loans or scholarships. This is why students should apply for as many scholarships as they can to try and get money for school. If the high room and board costs were abolished that would take a large sum of money off of the average annual tuition costs. This would take stress off of thousands of student’s shoulders and also increase the amount of students being able to attend college in the future. The decrease in total cost would help a good chunk of teenagers who need the financial help be able to attend college if they so choose to do that. With college comes spending money. Students right out of high schools do not have this kind of money to spend on room and board alone. Especially if these students come from a low income family they may be at an even lower disadvantage.
Students pay thousands of dollars in college tuition, for what? Most universities are not using the tuition money to go towards anything that will further or benefit their student’s education. Schools spend thousands of dollars just on sports and buildings that have no recreational use to most of the students. Most students do not attend college to play sports. Universities should use the money from ticket sales, sponsorships, grants, and large donations to pay for expensive things, instead of taking a toll on the financial standing of America’s youth. Universities will often overdo the treatment of potential “stars” showering them with free rides when they should have to pay just like everyone else. Athleticism should not pay for education.
“The Knight Commission says that Division 1 schools with football spent $91,936 per athlete in 2010, that’s seven times the spending per student of $13,628. Division 1 universities without football spent $39,201 per athlete, more than triple the average student spending”(Peale).
That’s thousands of dollars on sports that not every student at the university plays. Most of these athletes are not paying for their own tuition and have a free ride through college. This affects other students, by increasing their costs of tuition. This also affects people just as typical Americans because it puts a hefty increase on the amount of taxes they pay. This is a situation that not only affects all students thans want to attend college but it also affects just the average American. It is not fair that all students have to pay the same amount of tuition when not all college students play a sport.
If students want to go to school to play sports then those students should have to pay their fair amount for all sports costs. The rest of the students tuition should not be put towards athletics. “Nearly every university loses money on sports. Even after private donations and ticket sales, they fill the gap by tapping students paying tuition or state taxpayers” (Peale). Here Peale shows that college universities with sports affects everyone, not just college students. All Americans help pay for student’s tuition and athletic costs when universities lose money over athletics. Universities should be spending the money they get from tuition to go into things that will benefit all of their students, not just the athletes. Sports are a great way to bring publicity and school spirit to a university, but athletics should not be prioritized over athletics. Basketball, football, and baseball teams are all great means of entertainment, but if doing without them saves the students who do not play those sports money, most would agree to get rid of them.
“The average public university tuition rate has risen to $21,000, with the private college tuition rate rising to $42,000” (Hart). Most students have to get scholarships or student loans to pay for their college tuition. College fees and tuition are increasing all the time. Increasing tuition affects students in many different ways. It can cause them stress or even think about dropping out of school. Some students even have to get a job or move back in with their families just to try and afford increasing tuition prices. “The U.S. government already spends lots of money on student aid. Federal spending in 2014, the College Board reports, 47 billion in grants, $101 billion in loans and 20 billion in tax credits” (Wiener). This is billions of dollars being loaned to people that eventually they will have to pay back. Some people may never be able to pay all of it back. Increasing tuition may help schools financially, but cause less students attend the freshman class and in the long run that is more important because schools are there to educated not for money making.
College is hard enough as it is, and during college lots of students have to get jobs. Having a job and trying to get all homework and studying done can be very stressful on a student. Some students might have to work all night and then stay up even later just trying to study for their classes or to get their homework done. Stressing over school and a job may affect their grades and quality of work at school. “If students can’t make enough money to cover the cost of tuition hikes and can’t get more in loans or scholarships they may have no choice but to drop out of school” (Thompson). College and jobs can be very stressful and put together it can be even worse. If tuition hikes get too high or the student has to delay paying for their college tuition all together the student will be more likely to just give up on school all together.
“A student whose graduation date has been delayed by rate increases or who is having academic trouble due to working full-time might be particularly likely to decide to give up on college” (Thompson).

Tuition increases and fees are causing a lot of stress on college students this is why college should be free so students do not have to stress or even consider dropping out of college. If college tuition continues to increase the percentage of students going to college after high school will just continue to decrease until only the rich are able to attend college after graduating. This is not fair because America was built on the idea that everyone should have equal opportunity, but it is hard for those who simply cannot afford the extra cost of boosting tuition.
Going to college and furthering someone’s future career is a very important part of life.. Making the choice of going to college or not going to college could affect someone for the rest of their life, If a student decides to go to college after high school they will be in debt for many years after they graduate college. “Over the past decade, tuition and fees have risen much faster than inflation and outpaced the cost of housing and health care” (Blumenstyk). Blumenstyk is showing the outrageous cost of college tuition has become. Whether it is for a University or a Community college either one. Most people spend their whole lives being in debt just because of buying a house and now they will have the burden of paying off their college tuition as well. They may keep getting a bill in the mail that most of them will hate looking at, and also putting down that much money each month for their payment. While the college does create the opportunity of increased pay and better jobs, it should not mean students are required to pay all the money they earn back the college. At that point people may as well not go to a university.
“According to USSA statistics, student debt for higher education surpassed $1 trillion in 2012, and are now approaching $2 trillion” (Schramm). Schramm recorded this statistic in 2012, it’s 2016 and that average debt is has probably double by now. Every day people do not have that much money to pay back their college debt. “About 70% of 2013 graduates left college with an average of $28,400 in debt” (Bidwell). $28,400 is about the price of a brand new car. This is thousands of dollars that students will have to work all of their life just to pay off. Students just out of college do not have $20,000 laying around to pay back for their college debt. Many graduates chose to use a 20 to 30 year repayment plan. College debt does not only affect the student, but it can also affect their future families.
If students can not afford to pay off their student debt they might not be able to pay for their future children’s schooling, or it may influence their children that college is too expensive for what they get in the end. College tuition is affecting future children who have not even thought about college yet. Some students may never be able to repay their college debts, that could also affect their families. College should be free so people do not have to set up a 20 year repayment plan for paying off their higher education. A doubtless degree does not put a burden over a graduate's head, student loans are like clouds they always rain on student parades anytime they get money.
America is living in poverty. Many families struggle to make ends meet. Many families or just people in general struggle with paying all of their bills or even buying groceries for the week. This means that most average people cannot afford the annual cost of tuition at a regular community college or at a 4-year university. This hits people hard, mainly families with low income. If students that have families with low income are unable to get all of the scholarships or financial aid they need to attend college, they might end up just not going to college at all. College tuition is too expensive for the average family. Some student may even consider not even going to college because they do not want to put these hardships on their family.
Most students who have low income families rely on student aid and scholarships to get through college, but it does not always come together like they want it to. What if those students can’t get enough financial aid or scholarships to cover all of their college tuition and fees?
“While students from low-income families receive more grant aid, on average, than students from wealthier families, those from families in the upper half of the income distribution have benefited more from recent changes in student aid policies: as much as 43% of federal education tax credits and about 70% of the benefits of the federal tax deduction for tuition go to families with incomes above $50,000” (Washburn).
Students with families that have higher income are benefiting and getting more financial aid than students who actually need it. When financial aid covers the wrong thing students end up having to pay for their own tuition. Scholarships are not always dependable and students may not get all of their needs out of them. Some students may work very hard throughout high school but, they may not all reach the requirements they need to qualify for a scholarship. Some students may feel they need to get jobs during their time in college. This may cause students to feel the need to work long hours and they may feel this amount of debt may cause them to cut their time in college short. Financial aid should be going to students and families who are actually in need of it and cover the costs of the important things such as, books and other fees. Student aid and scholarships do help lots of students but, is it helping the right ones? Even after all of this financial help many students will still end up in thousands of dollars of debt years after graduating college. College should be free so that students who cannot afford the annual tuition costs are still able to attend college and get the degree they want. There are people all over the world that want their dreams to truly come true. Colleges do not think about poor inner city kids or those who live in a one parent household with 5 siblings. They only serve those who will feed them money. They could care less if you do not have enough money. Colleges are really cruel in the fact that they will sit and take every dime you have but the second you stop paying them cause an emergency happened they do not care about you.
Student loans are something that people cannot seem to escape. Most students who cannot pay their loans drop out of school. Students drown in debt after college and this could also affect their families whether it is now or in the future. If students choose to drop out of school they still have to repay whatever money they borrowed. With no degree and no job in their field most fall under the weight of the loans. Borrowing more money or filing collateral against something they own are often planned for people with low income. If that does not work, then the only place people can turn is bankruptcy. Bankruptcy seems like it would reset you and make you debt free, but this is not true. The debt of college can affect people very far into their future. After school people should be able to live their life being able to pursue their dream careers. Some people may feel obligated to jump into a career to be able to make money to pay off their debt. Even after all of their schooling in a specific career they may not be able to pursue the career they went to school for. They are in desperate need to make money and they will settle for anything that they can. These students should not have to settle. Students should be able to pursue their dream career and be able to provide enough money for their households. Students first priorities should not be paying back their students loans. They should be able to focus on their family's needs and not how much they owe to their debt collectors or college.
“Most debtors will not be able to discharge (wipe out) student loan debt in Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy. Many courts look at the undue hardship test as all or nothing—either you qualify to get the whole loan discharged, or you don’t. Other courts have discharged a portion of a debtor’s student loan. If you want to try to discharge your student loans in bankruptcy, you must file a formal complaint with the bankruptcy court, called a Complaint to Determine Dischargeability. It’s then up to you to prove to the court that payment of your loans will cause an undue hardship on you. You may have defenses to payment of your student loan debt, particularly if you attended a vocational or trade school. Examples include breach of contract, unfair or deceptive business practices, or fraud. You can raise these defenses in the creditor's Proof of Claim. If you succeed, you won't owe the debt at all, making the dischargeability issue moot” (Michon).
This is the only scenario in which you can be relieved of your debt. Without the court discharging your debt you will sink. This is another reason schools should not charge for extended education. Some students have to even bring in legal action to just help them from not drowning in debt.
The annual cost of tuition is getting out of hand and it is only increasing year after year. After graduating high school the ideal dream is to attend college, but is the money and all of the fees of college worth it in the end? A lot of students might question this after their college experience. College should be free for all students. College is way too expensive for everyone. The cost of tuition causes students’ stress and might even force them to get a job. College may also leave students in debt for years after they graduate. Finally, students with low income families may never be able to attend college because of how expensive it is. College should be free.
In conclusion, the cost of college is getting out of hand.

College tuition is too expensive, the money students pay to go to college does not go towards anything that will further their education; it causes students to stress and leaves them in financial debt for years after they graduate, and it can also lower the chance for students with low-income families to get the chance to go to college. After high school students graduate they are ready to get out into the world. After high school most students choose to further their education and attend college. There are many different colleges a student could pick from. With choosing a college comes the costs of the college. Different universities or community college come with a different price. The most stressful thing about picking a college is how much it is going to cost to attend this college. If college tuition was not a thing it would be easier all around for students, especially those who are struggling or having families that are struggling with money issues. More students would be able to attend the college they wish to if college tuition was not so costly. Some universities do not use the tuition they are given to be used on things to further their students education. Most universities use this money to buy sports facilities and recreational areas which all students are not able to use. If this money went towards books or laptops for every student it would help students financially and benefit their education. If

students do not receive scholarships in high school they will have to pay for most of the fees and costs out of pocket. Most students just coming out of high school do not have the kind of money to straight out pay for college. Many students have to get student loans. Student loans can be stressful and students may feel the need to get a job while in college. This could cause more stress on the student making them feel that they have to work all of the time while also maintaining good grades. Debt collectors could be stressful and be hassling the students for money. If students are forced to get loans they may spend the rest of their lives trying to pay off their student debt. Students should not be forced to get jobs and be stressed out all the time. The future children of America should not be affected by the debt we have nowadays. College should be free.