If colleges are so concerned about making a college education available to everyone and they are primarily filled with left wing ideologues, why are they willing to strap the kids they are so concerned about with mountains of debt?
“[P]rimarily filled with left wing ideologues”? Really? I would like to see the empirical data on that.
Colleges are a business. Even the not-for-profit ones. Make no mistake about it. An instutution doesn’t survive a century or more by giving away their product year after year after year.
You can argue ideology all you want, but costs will continue to go up as long as money is available and students and parents (and to a lesser extent employers too) continue to value rankings and ratings and prestige over a no-name, bare bones education.
For a lot of schools, tuition went up due to the states pulling back funding. It’s not like they were raising them for fun.
I appreciate the feedback. So college is a business? And politicians want to offer it for free? How is that even possible if it’s a business? $1T in student loan debt…that bubble will burst!
Nothing is “free”. Some politicians want to make public colleges/universities work like public high school - funded through taxes. Private colleges/universities would not be part of that system.
It’s not the kids so much as their parents.
You’re assuming that everyone who goes to college has mountains of debt. No, that’s for people who haven’t planned well and don’t have qualms about letting their children attend an unaffordable university.
Many of us corral our kids in and tell them: “this is what we can afford”.
@collegenut231, plan your time wisely by going to CC, then transferring to an affordable instate public. Lots of students do this and you can too.
Left wing? It’s obvious that you don’t know how diverse the college and university campuses are; go visit one and experience what i am speaking of. Everyone does their own thing. People respect each other with the “you do you” philosophy and no one bothers you or is disrespectful of your opinion- these are actual grown ups.
So making 4 year colleges free is never going to happen on any large scale. Just as much as Medicare for all is not going to happen. Those are just disappointing stump speeches. Now making schools more affordable is already happening to the disadvantaged at a lot of schools. Free community College for the first 2 years is happening in lots of states. Nice way to save money to finish your degree at the 4 year university.
So $1T in college debt isn’t an accurate estimate. There are kids out there literally leaving the country to avoid paying their debt.
“There are kids out there literally leaving the country to avoid paying their debt.”
That is a choice, just as it was a choice to attend a certain college requiring the loan in the first place. Every choice comes with consequences, some more palatable than others.
MODERATOR’S NOTE:
The initial question, as posted, is fine if you are looking for feedback. But since the forum rules prohibit debate, please don’t challenge every response.
This wasn’t a debate.
I want to know why the education system especially college is about money vs getting an education.
There are 4 million 18 year olds, roughly, and each of them has different backgrounds, family circumstances, and priorities. Some of those young adults will chose to be educated in the most cost-effective way possible, whether that’s at a 4 year university that gives them a lot of financial aid or at their local community college for their general education credits and then the closest state school while they still live at home. Other students have more family money and more options and want to spend more for a school with smaller class sizes, a full 4 year out-of-state experience, maybe the cachet of a particular name brand and the opportunities that school gives them, nicer/ newer dorms, etc. Paying more for college doesn’t necessarily mean better teachers which I think might be the point you are trying to argue, but there are other intangibles that are of value to some people.
Colleges are run as a business model because they cannot continue without the money. There are a number of colleges that have been taken over or closed because they could not make ends meet.
The story is that the cost to educate a student is not fully covered even by full tuition, but the student/parental contribution portion of college finances is important. Many colleges are need aware for that reason. They don’t want to admit students who cannot make the cost. Most colleges, however, simply gap. Take it or leave it. The financial aid package st those schools are comprised entirely of federal and state monies. They have no coffers to give out aid. Maybe some merit money.
The idea behind paying for college is with parent/student past, present and future earning. Those parents who are concerned about this from the get go start college funds, 539s , something for the future if financially possible. The old piggy bank, savings account, savings bonds are staples in my family for college money from an early age. Then when the kid is off to college, families tighten the belt as they make payments out of current paychecks, maybe take a second job, stay at home parent gets a job. The student is expected to contribute too with current income from summer and part time jobs. If savings and what can be used from income is not enough, future earnings in the form of loans are tapped. That is the model.
The problem come when there are little or no of insufficient savings and not enough that can be gleaned from income, and people think they can make that up from future earnings, ie loans. When you couldn’t save enough, make enough to make up at least 2/3 the cost of college, to think you can schloff it all off into the future is usually unrealistic.
I would not look at the consequences of too much stuff loan debt from the lens of sensationalism on part of the media. Doubt very much very many, in fact hardly any, are leaving the country just because of student loan debt. Makes a good story. The debt plus interest will be awaiting these expats if and when they return in those cases.
Not to say student loan debt isn’t causing horrible problems. For those students who don’t have family support in getting started in living wage jobs, having a monthly loan payment on top of trying to get s career launch is a tremendous burden. Then if parents took on PLUS or co-signed loans, and they aren’t able to repay them, it becomes a debacle. Instead of becoming a springboard for success, college has become another financial burden.
There are a lot of reasons for the rise in the cost of college and the amount of debt (see this Forbes article for a very partial discussion of the reasons: https://www.forbes.com/sites/camilomaldonado/2018/07/24/price-of-college-increasing-almost-8-times-faster-than-wages/#1872f2f466c1).
As @cshell2 pointed out, the cost of state (public) universities has risen particularly quickly, in large part because of the desire to cut taxes, which requires cutting spending, which means that the average subsidy for in-state students has dropped dramatically (for examples, see both the University of Virginia and the University of Kentucky, who have published charts showing the decrease in subsidy vs the increase in tuition).
There are other factors: the pressure to get a 4 year degree continues to go up, private (including for-profit) colleges have gotten really good at marketing, etc. Comfort with debt is (imo) a factor as well: cruise CC and you will see many posts from students - and parents) arguing that $100K of debt for Amazing U is worth it. The “I want the best for me/my kid who has worked so hard to get into this college” drive is strong.
Finally, there is a difference between saying ‘talented students should be able to come to our university’ and making spending decisions for college students and their families. No college can “strap” their students with mountains of debt: by law a student can’t borrow more than ~$20K total- above that a parent or guardian has to sign.
Think it’s $27,500. But get the point.
The max student Direct Loan amounts are
Freshman $5500
Sophomore $6500
Junior $7500
Senior $7500
For a grand total of $27,000 for all four years total.
Well, I evidently can’t add anymore… Lol.
No need to keep the thread open since the OP is no longer active.