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The Real Reason College Tuition Costs So Much

radcen said:
The Real Reason College Tuition Costs So Much

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/05/o...0&WT.mc_ev=click&ad-keywords=AUDDEVAPRIL&_r=0
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Oh no! They have to pay for their own education that they will use to be more economically viable for the remainder of their life! That is such a travesty! I'm shocked! Shocked I tell you! I'm going on a hunger strike to raise awareness!













The preceding rant was brought to you by sarcasm. Sarcasm, the tool of those that look down upon the ignorance of socialism.




"Some of this increased spending in education has been driven by a sharp rise in the percentage of Americans who go to college" - What's this? Supply and demand maybe? Maybe? Yes.
 
radcen said:
Should've been put in the Academia forum. It's not "breaking news", it's an opinion piece.
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Don't tell me. I wasn't the OP.
 
You do realize that having a degree doesn't guarantee you'll make more, right? A substantial number of college graduates find themselves unemployed in their profession (due to overqualification or job availability) and end up working menial jobs trying to pay off tens, sometimes hundreds, of thousands of dollars off. There's also those that don't qualify for loans, and have to work two jobs to pay for an education that may or may not yield monetary success later in life.
 
These numbers are largely misleading. While cost of attendance at UM now is about $55k for non residents, practically the only ones who go there from out of state are from the 1%. $55k is nothing to them, and it keeps costs down for everyone else. UM is also doling out enormous grants to low income students. In effect, the reason tuition and room costs are so bloated is because the wealthy are subsidizing the poor.

At the same they are charging *the rich* ever-increasing tuition, the % of the budget that's derived from state funding is lower than ever. It's at under 20% and has led to calls to privatize.

Are admin salaries too high? Sometimes. The president makes $750k and is effectively a fundraiser and nothing more. Well when the latest fundraiser brought in *$4 billion*, is the salary too high?
 

Every 17-18 year old does qualify for $30k of non dischargeable loans these days, and that's part of the problem.

The other problem is most 17-18 year olds don't see a path to a living wage, other than college.
 

There is that, absolutely, even in technical professions. There is also the number of people that get things like history degrees as if they have any value to begin with.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a history dork, but I know there's no money in it.
 
radcen said:
I know. I wasn't blaming. Just a little miffed because I did look in this forum before I posted to make sure it hadn't been already done.
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I just posted the link because there was further discussion there. FWIW I usually do a full search with a key word in the title. If nothing comes up then I'll start a thread. YMMV.
 

Nope. I don't realize that: Earnings and unemployment rates by educational attainment
 
shlunka said:
Really? "Guarantee". Read comprehensively before wasting my time.
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96% are employed at a median income over $52,000 a year. That's as close as you'll get in life.
 
radcen said:
There is that, absolutely, even in technical professions. There is also the number of people that get things like history degrees as if they have any value to begin with.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a history dork, but I know there's no money in it.
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Eh, it'll get you an interview for say entry level office work before the dropouts.

Of course, if another applicant has related job experience, that degree won't help even for that.

The real potential value comes from advanced degrees. Plenty of history majors get into top law schools and end up with sizable income.

Thing is, i don't know anyone who majors *only* in history. They'll at least pick a 2nd, more marketable major
 
The cost of attending college is out of reach for millions of would-be students and even many current students that are barely able to finish a semester let alone four years. When you look at college enrollment today you might think that there are plenty of people that are able to attend and afford the cost without scholarships or grants based on the student populations but in reality there are plenty of people of which college is just a fantasy unfortunately.
 

I strongly disagree. If you really want to complete your education, it can be done.There are many sources of funding, particularly if you've been an exemplary student or have special circumstances. Even if you take only one or two classes a semester or if you have to delay college entrance for a few years, anybody who desires an education can find a way. You'll be a better student by then anyway.
 
ksu_aviator said:
96% are employed at a median income over $52,000 a year. That's as close as you'll get in life.
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yeah and on $52k per year it will only take you something like 73 decades to pay off your student loans.
 

I agree that anything is possible however the likelihood of a person finishing college when they have to constantly break up semesters or delay signing up for classes greatly diminishes after every delay. The moment when a person has to start choosing between school or making enough money to pay bills school will inevitably get pushed aside. You may be a better student at the end of the day if you stick to it but I think you also will lose quite of bit of would-be great students through then simply giving up in order to survive financially. I'm blessed to have parents that are helping pay my tuition and I also have scholarships, but it certainly doesn't take much effort to look around and see a lot of frustrated potential students that know that it will take two or three times as long to finish due to not being quite as lucky, assuming they in fact ever finish due to the financial strain, and taking out student loans that you will be in debt with for years after is not always ideal either. At the end of the day the system needs to be made fresh and adjusted so that students shouldn't have to choose between debt for years to come just to compete in the post college world or not attending at all (or extensive delays).
 
"The Real Reason College Tuition Costs So Much"

The real reason is that they are able to fill the classrooms at those prices. If that were not true, then tuition costs would decline. Supply and demand, ain't it grand?
 
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