The Cost of Higher Education and it's Future

Claudia Gonzalez Professor Daniel Powell ENC 3241 March 10, 2013

The Cost and Future of Higher Education Summary Over the years, the cost of higher education has been increasing, making it difficult for students to attain, and a luxury that many can no longer afford. Governors and legislators have relied on cutting the budgets of state higher education, and compensating with large increases in student tuition and fees. College affordability is currently in jeopardy and what does that mean for the future higher education? With its limited accessibility, fewer students will venture into higher education and in turn will make for an entirely different kind of society. Where once we were a competitive nation, with a constant rising number of college graduates, there is a possibility of our nation no longer being a part of the global economy.

In a recession, to cut back on higher education and to put more of the cost on families is the opposite of what is needed. Even with the assistance of financial aid, paying for community college and university schooling accounts for a large portion of families’ income. All the while, the tuitions and fees increase but incomes do not.

Higher education needs to be a higher priority in state budgeting, and relying on families to make up the costs of budget cuts is not the best way to get results. As a nation, it is necessary to maintain a high number of college graduates in order to stay competitive in the global economy, but if the costs keep rising, especially while income is not, then higher education is just more and more unattainable for the middle class alone, not to mention lower-income families.

History Higher education: what was once a privilege reserved for men of the clergy, is now an essential career source. As college education opened up to the public, it also grew more relevant to everyday life. In addition to the traditional liberal arts curriculum, the door was open to the sciences and vocational training, creating a large educated workforce in return. Since the opening of Harvard, the oldest university in the United States, college attendance has steadily increased.

As attendance increased, so did the establishment of new universities. By World War II, the higher education curriculum had been revolutionized with the variety of disciplines offered at these universities; but despite this, higher education remained dominated by the upper-class white male. One of the important developments to change the population of universities was the G.I Bill. The G.I Bill paid for the college education of 8 million returning GIs. The government paid for all expenses: tuition, books, and even gave the GIs a sum for food and housing. This bill removed the biggest hurdle to higher education: the cost. The middle class as well as people of lower-income families were represented on campuses and the number of college students nearly doubled. There was a time where higher education was taken for its full value and it held the priority that it still deserves. And because of the GI Bill, many realized that higher education was the ticket to a better life.

Current State As of today, it is estimated that the cost of higher education has increased by 1,120% over the course of thirty-five years, and earlier this year it was reported that the average tuition at four-year public universities had increased 15 percent between 2008 and 2010. That, along with inflation and decreasing incomes is what is making college a less attainable luxury for many students.

As tuitions continue to rise, so does the national student loan debt, which has recently hit $1 trillion, making students wonder about the worth of a higher education. College attendance is currently being funded by the middle class through debt, and families that have a history of sending children to college will go to any lengths to keep that up. However, it is already clear that it is becoming increasingly difficult for low-income families to do the same.

According to “Measuring up 2008�, one of the few reports to compare college costs (a year’s tuition, fees, housing, minus financial aid) against the average family income. The net cost

of a four-year public university accounted for 28 percent of the average family income, while a four-year private university accounted for 76 percent of the average family income. For those with income within the lowest 20 percent, the cost of a public university was 55 percent of the average income. Community college accounted for 49 percent of the poorest families’ income.

The income required to pay for college has been growing, and even faster for lower-income families – regardless of financial aid provided.

Future According to the biennial report from the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, college tuition and fees increased 439 percent, while family income only increased 147 percent. With this sort of inflation, student loans have more than double in the last ten years.

Lower-income families receive smaller grants from colleges than students from more prosperous families.

If this trend continues, it is difficult to foresee where education system is headed. There are chances that our nation will no longer have an affordable system of higher education, and although college enrollment continues to rise, it is unclear for how much longer that can continue. If we were to project to 2036, tuition would increase from 11 percent of the family budget, to 24 percent of the family budget – with only tuition and fees considered – according to a report by the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges.

The costs are quickly exceeding the ability to pay. Students are currently looking at roughly $20 thousand per year for a public institution, and $40 thousand for a private institution,

and even with financial aid these costs discourage many from considering higher education.

Altogether, the increasing cost of college has the potential to lower our national education level, reduce future economic growth, and undermine the promise of equal education opportunity.

Not only does increasing cost lower the amount of college graduates, but it lowers the quality of the education received. As more and more budget cuts are made to higher education, not only will this lead to more being paid out of a family’s pocket, but it will also diminish the education that is received. Already due to budget cuts we see universities where courses have been cut, part-time faculty on the rise, and student support services have either been reduced or eliminated.

The future of higher education will remain questionable due to higher education being treated as a luxury, especially in the current recession. Higher education enrollment is projected to grow throughout the decade because of the largest high school graduation class in the nation’s history, class of 2009. With or without a recession, universities would have difficulty accommodating so many students, and this alone, along with the recession can lead to tuition and fees increase. Also, the students of this graduating class are among the poorest and despite that, surveys reveal that their college aspirations are high. We currently live in a knowledge-based global economy, where without a college education it would be difficult for these students to find any employment to support a middle class life. Different states took different measures to accommodate these issues. For example, whereas Florida took steps to preserve access to higher education, California increased costs and prices, reduced productivity and cut access to higher education by 50,000 students. The future of higher education and of the status of the nation hangs in a balance because of budget cuts on colleges and lack of increase on family incomes.

Conclusion Higher education is currently not considered as high a priority in the states as it should be. To neglect funding of what is now is an essential tool for careers, is to put the future of our nation in jeopardy. Keeping higher education affordable and maintaining a steadily increasing number of college graduates is what aids the U.S in maintaining a competitive status in the global economy. If higher education is no longer affordable, we lose college graduates, and in turn lose our status. For states to cut funding to higher education, raise tuitions and fees, and expect parents to contribute an even higher percentage of their income is not the answer. The income of the middle class does not rise with inflation and does not increase with the rise of tuition, and the percentage contributed by parents is high enough as it is, even with the aid of financial aid.

Higher education is not a luxury, it is a necessity. If students intend to maintain a middleclass lifestyle, they cannot do so with anything less than a college education. If this nation intends to keep its place in the global economy, then it must do more in order to generate more college graduates. To have college graduates does not mean college graduates of schools where the quality of education has been diminished either. Budget cuts have to be made, but colleges and universities should not receive the bulk of them. It is unaffordable for the students, for their families, and for this nation to lose potential graduates and educated workers. It is time for this nation to recognize higher education for the priority that it should be and to treat it that way.

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2. Lewin, Tamar. "Higher Education May Soon Be Unaffordable for Most Americans, Report Says." The New York Times. The New York Times, 03 Dec. 2008. Web. 10 Mar. 2013.

3. Kaufman, Claire. "The History of Higher Education in the United States." History of U.S. Higher Education. World Wide Learn, n.d. Web. 10 Mar. 2013.