Cost Of College Education

In today society it is expected and almost necessary for high school graduates to attend college and obtain a degree. College is viewed as a ticket to a successful and prosperous career and life. One of the biggest controversies for young adults in the United States is weather a college education is worth the price. The average price of one year at a college institute is $24,610 for a public college and $49,320 for a private university. (What's the Price Tag for a College Education) Many college graduates, graduate from college with a debt of nearly $100,000, taking decades to pay off. The extremely high cost of a higher education forces many people to over look it and enter into the work force. The price of college is rising rapidly and
The rapidly increasing cost of college is resulting in the many people left with no other choice than to join the work force right after high school. Less than 5% of high school students who enter the work force attend a secondary education later in life. In 1971, the cost of one year at an institution was between $200 and $2,600. During that point in time, the price of attending a secondary school was seventeen times less than it is today. (Schoen, John W.) On average a college student pays $24,610 a year to attend a public college.(What's the Price Tag for a College Education) That it only the price of tuition. Students also have to pay for room and board, food, books and supplies, and the necessities for daily living. After four years of a public secondary school, an average student pays $1,298 on books alone, not to mention the expenses of a food plan or living quarters. (Understanding College Costs) But nevertheless there is financial aid to help afford college. Two thirds of the nations full-time college students pay for college with local and government scholarships and grants. Each year in the United States, the United States Department of Education awards 46 billion dollars in scholarships to students attending a secondary school. An additional 3.3 billion is given in gift aid by foundations, businesses, churches, and non-profit organizations.(Barr, Cecillia) There are also need-based aid like the
2007 and Jan. 2010, jobs requiring college degrees grew by 187,000, while jobs requiring some college or an associate's degree fell by 1.75 million and jobs requiring a high school degree or less fell by 5.6 million. According to a June 2016 study, 99% of job growth (or 11.5 million of 11.6 million jobs) between 2010 and 2016 went to workers with associate's degrees, bachelor's degrees or graduate degrees. Based on economy and job projections calculated by Georgetown University, in 2018, approximately 63% of jobs will require some college education or a degree.(College Education)
Although receiving a college degree has a better employment opportunities and financial stability, there is also risks. A college degree has no guarantee for job placement or workplace benefits. In a 2013 survey 68.9% of employed recent college graduated did not receive health insurance and 27.2% did not receive retirement coverage. In 2011, 50% of college graduates under the age of 25, were only working part-time or not employed. Having a college degree doesn’t guarantee employment or benefits.(College