Rising College Costs And How Students Can Cope And Adjust

By David Martin

If you have been enrolled in college consecutively for a couple years you may have noticed tuition has gone up each year. It is not just at your institution either. On the surface it may not be apparent as to why tuition has been increasing. It would seem that the increase would warrant some kind of benefit for students, if a University is charging more, the programs and facilities should be better too then right? While this would seem to the true, it is not the case.

• Tuition has risen on average by 28% across the United States since 2007 and many institutions have had to cut programs.
• About 53% of the revenue public colleges use come from the state. But since the recession began back in 2007 states have cut a lot of funding.
• The majority have reduced spending per-student on average of 25%, some states have reduced funding by more than 40% when compared to pre-recession levels of funding.

So in order to compensate for the loss in revenue universities have no choice but to raise tuition and on top of that cut programs. While it may seem like a greedy move to raise tuition, many universities are struggling to maintain the programs they currently have.

 

There is a trend that shows state revenue has returned to pre-recession levels and some states are funding more per-student than last year. The amounts the states are funding are on the rise but unfortunately it is still nowhere near enough to compensate for the loss of funding caused by the recession. On average states have increased funding per-student by $449. Considering there has been a loss of over $2000 per-student since 2007 it is a step in the right direction but state funding still has a long way to go in order to make up the years of budget cuts.

While the burden to make up the funding has been placed on the educational institutions it has also placed a large burden on low income families. Not only have they been hit the hardest from the recession, they now need to help students provide for the increased program fees and tuition increases. In order to help with the rising costs students should take advantage of as many grants and scholarships they can. In addition to scholarships there are many potential ways to save money while going to college.

Not only has tuition been increasing but the cost of textbooks have increased as well. Many universities have textbook exchanges located very close to campus. Taking advantage of these shops may save you a lot of money during your academic career. Other options can include checking campus bulletin boards for people trying to sell their books from classes they have already taken. If you are still having trouble finding books for less than new price you can usually find them on amazon as well.

As difficult as it may be to work and go to school full time you can be able to enroll in work study programs. These will typically have you working on campus in exchange for extra financial aid. Another option is an internship and many programs will offer these, they may be highly competitive but in exchange for your time you will learn special skills relevant to your field and most likely they will also satisfy some of the credit requirements for your degree.

The importance of applying for scholarships and grants cannot be stressed enough. Especially now as tuition increases have no real signs of slowing down. Perhaps in a few years after state funding has increased we may see a drop in tuition. Unfortunately that is not the case at this point in time so being able to achieve the scholarships and grants will undoubtedly alleviate some of the financial burden families will face. Options for federal loans are always a choice as well, but those will have to be paid back with interest.

 

While the amount of debt that can be accumulated through federal loans may seem overwhelming there are options depending on the job field you get into after graduation. Most jobs in the medical field will receive federal loan forgiveness, especially if you are working in rural or impoverished neighborhoods. Federal loan forgiveness may also be available for educators working in these places as well. If your specialization isn’t focused in the medical field or teaching, there are organizations such as AmeriCorps or the Peace Corps that also offer loan forgiveness to those who volunteer.

 

Besides finding ways to make the financial burden less of an issue something equally important is to work on your own skills to help you be productive. All the funding in the world won’t help unless you are able to put yourself in the right state of mind for academic study. Being able to prioritize yourself will save so much time. Having some kind of calendar or notebook to write important dates for when assignments are due or for upcoming tests will allow you to plan your study time more efficiently.

 

Learning to work well in groups is a very important skill to acquire. While we may think we know the best way to accomplish something, and in some cases we do, we should never ignore the input of others. This is especially true on group oriented projects which you will come across plenty during your academic career. This is a skill that will prove very valuable after graduation as well.

 

Many of you may go on to hold management positions and knowing how to take on projects using the strengths of all the members involved will result in increased productivity and increasing the well being of the team by showing them that their input and expertise really matter to you and the other members.

I hope by the end of this article you will have more understanding of the current environment of the academic world and why it is becoming more and more expensive to be a part of it. I also hope that the other topics will have given some insight and how to approach being successful while going to college. It is a big investment of time and money so you may as well give yourself the best chance you can.

David Martin studied Music Composition at Boise State University. He enjoys the outdoors, playing music, and oddly enough doing research. He currently spends his time creating compositions and writing.