The Rising Cost of Higher Education

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One year at the prestigious Yale University will cost an average of $38,300 (collegeboard.com). Many students who deserve to go to this school may miss out because of the cost and lack of financial aid. The rising cost of college may put higher education out of reach for the average American. This paper will look into the reasons behind the steady rise in prices, the legitimacy of a college education, and why recent graduates are struggling to find jobs in this tough economy. A college education is now as necessary for success as a high school education was in the 1970’s according to the job industry. In 1970, only 40 percent of high school graduates went to college. Now 70 percent of high school graduates attend some sort of postsecondary education (“Are Too Many Students Going to College?”). This percentage has increased because graduating high school is seen as typical right of passage. In addition to that, in 1970 7 percent of Americans had a Bachelor degree by the age of 24. In 2008 that percent had raised to a solid 29 percent (“How Much Does College Cost, and Why?”). Because more students are graduating with higher education degrees, college degrees are less special and more prevalent. Therefore, one would think that college tuition would decrease (saturation of a market). However, that is simply not the case. The price of college has increased for a variety of reasons. Pubic Universities have had to raise their tuition fees because their state has a strained budget. State and local funding has taken a major hit since the 1908s. For example, the University of Virginia received 33 percent of their budget from the state in 1989. In 2009 they only received 12 percent from the state. Another statistic shows that since 1980... ... middle of paper ... ... Cohan, Peter. "Is a Degree From a Top College Worth the Price? - DailyFinance." Business News, Stock Quotes, Investment Advice - DailyFinance. 30 Dec. 2010. Web. 06 Feb. 2011 Collins, Hugh. “Young College Grads Struggle to Find Work”. Business News, Stock Quotes, Investment Advice, - Daily Finance. 9 Jan. 2011. Web. 03 Feb. 2011. “How Much Money Does College Cost, and Why?”. Left Business Observer. 29 Jan. 2011. Web. 01 Feb. 2011. Kelley, Rob. “College Cost Rise; Public Universities See Biggest Hike- Oct. 18, 2005”. Business, Financial, Personal Financial News- CNNMoney.com. 17 Oct. 2005. Web. 01 Feb. 2011. Kirst, Mike. “Executive Summary.” Stanford University. Web. 03 Feb. 2011. Vedder, Richard. “Why Did 17 Million Students Go to College?” Home- The Chronicle of Higher Education. The Chronicle of Higher Education. 08 Nov. 2009. Web. 03 Feb. 2011.

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