The cost of higher education is too much

by Alex Ross Managing Editor

After three years in this institution, I can assure nearly everyone that the price of admission is not worth it. This is not because of the quality of education in this state school nor the valuable life lessons I have learned from professors, friends, and roommates.

The moments I experienced here are formative to who I have become today, and I will cherish them for the rest of my life.

Rather, what makes college not worthwhile is the crushing debt I will never pay off.

Higher education should be accessible to anyone that wishes to pursue it. Does this sound like a crazy idea? In the view of most Americans, perhaps, but only because of the cost of that education.

As a current student, the only reason I took a gap year was the uncertainty of how much debt I would accrue. Ultimately, it was my decision to take on the debt and earn an education. But to quantify how much money I would have to pay off is staggering to me now, let alone to a 19 year old me applying to Lock Haven.

Commonwealth University’s page indicates the yearly average cost of tuition, on-campus housing, and meal plans for in-state students add up to $21,774 after financial aid, which multiplied by 4 years means the cost would be $87,096.

This is also considering that Lock Haven is a cheaper school to attend.

Compared to main campus State College, the average amount for the same parameters is $32,270 per year. Multiply that by four and that is $130,880 for an education. What exactly about a higher education needs to cost this much?

The high cost gatekeeps certain individuals from going to schools and earning the higher education they want. If students that barely don’t make the financial aid support they need, then they are somewhat screwed out of going to a school if they wish to stay away from lifetime debt.

If less and less people go to schools, then what will that mean for the educators, the schools themselves, the state system, and the entire base of higher education? It will be harder to access, only allowing the wealthy and super-fortunate to earn an education that should be provided to everyone already.

How can such an issue be fixed?

Perhaps a priority by the U.S. government towards education and the well-being of its citizens over military and defense could see results.

The U.S. spends over three times the amount of money on its own military than the next biggest military in the world, China.

The American military budget sits at $751 billion according to the Peter

G. Peterson Foundation while China spends about a third of that. Defending the country is extremely important, and resources should be put towards the physical safety of citizens, but when does it become excessive?

Taking a small amount, not much, from the military and transferring to state-funded education could make higher education cheaper and more accessible.

Even if this solution would not be enough, it beats letting the cost of education rise to extreme levels. Look to the future, when the next generation is ready to head to college. What will they think when prospective students take a look at the cost? They will think “this is not viable for myself or anyone I know.”

If a forty year old today is still paying their debt and won’t have it paid off till they hit retirement age, then there is a glaring issue with this system. And with an expected economic downturn in the near future, only a handful of people will be able to afford college soon, gating off an important and formative part of people’s lives.