The Hidden Struggle Behind College Admissions The struggle middle-class students experience when it comes to affording college and how to be financially smart by IVY COE staff writer
Graphic: T. Whiteford
When students think of college, many are excited for a new chapter in their lives, yet one common struggle remains among most students: the rising cost of college tuition in the United States. Out of all of these students, a particular group of them finds themselves stuck in the middle. Middle-class families tend to make too much money to qualify for federal grants that are reserved for low-income families, yet they don’t make enough to pay for college altogether. Larger schools in Michigan, such as the University of Michigan, have an overall average cost of around $31,000 before aid. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, college tuition has undergone an average inflation rate of 6.38 percent per year since 1977, and it continues to increase as time goes on. Ac6 // BGQ // May 2021
cording to research done by CNBC in December of 2019, college tuition has risen 25 percent over the past 10 years. Families want to give their children the best opportunities possible, but that can be difficult when money is an issue. Parents of middle-class families are forced to decide between watching their children take on large loans, or risking their own financial security in order to help them. “The biggest struggle is that there often is not enough ‘free’ money for students - so they have to take out loans. It is important to find a school that is affordable for the family,” explains Vicki Beam, the owner of Michigan College Planning, a program that helps families with financial and academic support. For scholars who don’t qualify for Federal Pell Grants (a subsidy from the Federal Government
