For many high school teens throughout the United States, the ultimate goal is to perform well enough in school to be accepted at a college, university, or other institute of higher learning. Despite the fact that a student can do very well in high school and be accepted at one or more colleges or universities, there may be a looming problem that could ultimately prevent them from any post high school education. That problem is the cost of tuition. The rising cost of tuition for colleges and universities throughout the United States has become a significant issue that millions of teens are forced to deal with each year.
More than ever before, the value of a college diploma is pivotal to get the type of job that will allow one to support his or herself and a family while at the same time saving money. More than ever before, the cost of that very same valued college diploma is increasing every year. Over the past 10 years, the cost for in-state tuition and fees at a public four year institution increased 3.5% ANNUALLY. (source:College Board, Annual Survey of Colleges, NCES, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS)). The median family income in the United States grew at an average rate of 0.4% per year from 2005 to 2015 (after adjusting for inflation ) despite declines each year from 2008 to 2013. (source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2015 Income Data, Table F-6). The cost of college education continues to rise at a higher rate than the average annual family income causing concern for potential college bound teens and their families. There are exceptions, those individuals who receive full scholarships or those for which money is not a concern, but in general after completion of a four year degree, it is not unrealistic to have up to six figures in debt upon graduation. This is no way to start a self-supporting life. Higher learning goes back hundreds of years, but the problems we are seeing today with the cost of tuition began in the late 1990’s. It is around this time that state and local appropriations to colleges and universities began to decline. As a result, the institutions began to increase their tuition rates, and by 2005 we began to see the default rates on student loans begin to increase. By 2008, tuition fees were up 439% since 1982. Income increased only 147% during that time. (source: A Timeline of College Tuition – BestCollegesOnline.com, staff writers). The recession which began in 2007-2...
