Persuasive Essay: Should College Students Pay For College
I believe the greatest obstacle facing our generation is how to pay for college. The soaring costs and confusing financial aid systems are a hindrance to receiving an education, and it crushes those who do graduate with student loan debt that affects their life choices years after college.
For most, higher education is the key to social mobility, financial stability, and self-actualization. Living-wage jobs are difficult to find, especially without an education past high school. Workers are competing in a market that demands knowledge, high-skills, and leadership. College is where young adults can learn to be successful.
The cost of a university education has increased 12-fold in the past three decades. Most students pay for college with a combination of family, work, grants, scholarships, and loans. Few students have families who can pay for their education entirely. To pay for college, a student needs to work more than 48 hours a week on minimum-wage. Add that to the time needed to be successful with a full load of classes, and simply working your way through college today is impossible. Even a maximum federal Pell Grant only covers the cost of attending a community college, it leaves a large deficit on the bill for a university’s tuition. Everyone is competing …show more content…
The federal government already loses over $77 billion a year on educational grants and tax breaks, meanwhile students pay about $60 billion a year to attend public colleges and universities. By the federal government simply footing the bill instead of laundering money, public two and four year institutions could be free. This plan means cutting off aid to private institutions, but they can be left to their own endowments. This revolutionary change would mean no more confusing financial aid systems and no more crushing student loans. It is in the country’s best interest to have young adults who are educated, socially mobile, and not saddled with mountains of
For most, higher education is the key to social mobility, financial stability, and self-actualization. Living-wage jobs are difficult to find, especially without an education past high school. Workers are competing in a market that demands knowledge, high-skills, and leadership. College is where young adults can learn to be successful.
The cost of a university education has increased 12-fold in the past three decades. Most students pay for college with a combination of family, work, grants, scholarships, and loans. Few students have families who can pay for their education entirely. To pay for college, a student needs to work more than 48 hours a week on minimum-wage. Add that to the time needed to be successful with a full load of classes, and simply working your way through college today is impossible. Even a maximum federal Pell Grant only covers the cost of attending a community college, it leaves a large deficit on the bill for a university’s tuition. Everyone is competing …show more content…
The federal government already loses over $77 billion a year on educational grants and tax breaks, meanwhile students pay about $60 billion a year to attend public colleges and universities. By the federal government simply footing the bill instead of laundering money, public two and four year institutions could be free. This plan means cutting off aid to private institutions, but they can be left to their own endowments. This revolutionary change would mean no more confusing financial aid systems and no more crushing student loans. It is in the country’s best interest to have young adults who are educated, socially mobile, and not saddled with mountains of